Bubblegum Explosion
by WyndSyrin
Summary: A new player in Mega-Tokyo and this time he is more than human. Genom is looking to make use of his unique abilities. Set in the Original 2032 Universe with several characters having more to them than meets the eye. Sorry all had to change the Rating!
1. Chapter 1

Special Thanks to Mark Latus who has graciously allowed me to use the Character of Daniel Dumas in this Fan fic. Yes I did write him and asked his permission to use the character. Also I would Like to thank Jeanne Hedge for a good part of my inspiration in this. My very Special thanks to the both of them. Also I would like to thank all of those people that were Pre readers for me.

All characters except Shaelynn Benton, and Akira Asagiri are owned by other people and sure as heck not me. Please ask My Permission to use Shaelynn in your works. If this gets dark in parts it is because my mind went wandering and got very twisted. So please bear with me.

Author's Preface:

Something of Note Bubble Gum Crash did not exactly happen as per the videos.

All right I think I should explain a few things about this story. First off there are Espers in this world. What I mean by Espers are people that have varying degree of Psychic powers (i.e., Telepathy, Telekinesis, Psychoportation, etc. . . . ) From time to time I will call any esper abilities Talent. Mostly due to the Anne McCaffrey influence. I will not have any of her characters show up in this fic simply because they would not fit.

Secondly, The Character of Shaelynn Benton. This character is VERY toned down from my regular story. I had decided to make him a very believable character in the sense that he has character flaws and other problems. I would like to mention that his powers are very down scaled due to the fact of how fun would this story be if you had a character that was a god? It would be boring as hell. However, who is to say that during the stories that I intend to write he may or may not get more powerful.

Next I would also like to point out that there will be cameos throughout this fic and others due to the nature of this series being so serious. I decided to add cameos as well only at times when I think that they would be funny.

Finally I would like to point out that certain characters in this story will be acting totally against what would be considered the norm for this type of world and for what is considered normal for them. I did this intentionally because if I did not then the whole idea would be very unplausible. I have decided to give a certain couple of characters a very sensitive side that is there but is seldom seen.

Well without further self gratification let's get on with the Show!

BGC Presents: Bubble Gum Explosion: Episode #1: Tragedy and Romance

Date: Monday, 04 September 2034

Sylia was not having a good week at all. For starters, her brother Mackie had totally disappeared. All that she knew was that he was in Germany studying. Her last letter that she received from him was on Saturday of the current month. All that it said was that he was enjoying his studies and could not wait until he could see her for the holidays. Then just recently all communications with him ceased. At first she figured that he was busy with his studies. That would be expected since he was studying for a major exam. However, when she talked to Dr. Geary she found out that he had not returned home from classes on Friday. This bothered her, but she knew that he was an adult and could take care of himself.

A current problem that arose that needed to be dealt with soon. Someone was following Priss. Who it was she did not know, but she could only hope that this person did not pose a threat to the rest of them. If it did then she would have to take care of it soon. She remembered hearing from Priss that she would find things missing or out of place. The most recent thing that was stolen from her was her helmet. This was odd, even for a thief. Why in the world would a thief want to steal her helmet? Sylia figured that this thief would want something that was valuable instead of a helmet.

Nene was on sick leave from the AD Police. Or at least she was supposed to be. Sylia thought that Nene was overdoing it a bit when she faked having the flu in order to gather the information that they needed for their last job.

However, the major source of her bad week was the stranger in the Hard Suit. Whoever this was had managed to irritate her and she had one way to deal with things that irritated her. That being find the source of her irritation and deal with it.

She was sure that she was the only one that had that type of design. In fact she made sure that this new suit was not a blatant copy of any of hers. She knew what happened the last time that someone copied her suits. Sylia saw the results of that back in 2033 with the four boomers masquerading as the four of them. This suit was unlike anything that she had ever conceived of. Also this renegade hardsuit made an appearance a month ago, when six 55-C boomers swarmed it. That lead her to believe that this person had no connection with Largo. However, she was not going to take any chances until she could find out who this individual was. Also what he was really after. That was something that she also needed to find out. Despite a valiant effort, the boomers had nearly killed the wearer. His survival was totally dependant on perfect, or rather lucky timing, which allowed him to flee death. Something about the way he moved reminded her of the way that Linna fights. Grace and agility all neatly wrapped in one person. Yet he would fight with a ferocity that she had only seen in Priss. Something about his movements made her shiver. Whoever this stranger was made her feel all kinds of new emotions. Curiosity, wonder, and fear. For the first time in her life she had actually known what it was like to feel fear from this person. She had to find out who he or she was and know all she could about this person. Also she wanted to know why this person was making her feel these emotions. However, she knew that the person was also a rookie when it came to fighting in a combat suit. Maybe, she thought, he had not been properly trained on how to fight in a suit of armor. Or maybe his mistakes were just an act to fool anyone that happened to be watching.

The renegade had totally disappeared until last night. Perhaps it was by choice or perhaps the renegade was inexperienced in using a combat suit. Sylia was inclined to think that it was the latter. That much was obvious, because she could see him make the most elementary of mistakes.

After they had returned from their latest job, Sylia had analyzed the data obtained by Nene on that mysterious hard suit from the night before. It was amazing that a suit like his was even constructed. The main question that she wanted to know was why it was made at all. Also what were his motivations behind it in the first place? Why did this person who she now found out was obviously male have to gain by using a Hardsuit in the first place? Did he have some agenda against Genom that she needed to be aware of? Or was this person trying to get her attention? She was of the opinion that she would not add this person to her ranks if that was what he was trying to accomplish. If he was trying to attack Genom then she had better keep a close eye on him just in case he decided to turn his attention toward her group.

That hardsuit produced twice the power Nene's suit was capable of. That much alone grabbed her attention. She was expecting a electronic warfare suite that would rival Nene's, but she did not find that in the suit at all. Sylia wondered why he would have such power requirements if he did not have the systems that would require it. What other secrets did that suit of his hold? Also how could she use those secrets to her own advantage. As she got a full breakdown on this suit's specs, she found that it had several different weapons on it. It was only then did it become clear. He needed the extra power to use all of the weapons on his suit. It carried blade cannons on the back, electrical daggers on each arm, a high-powered microwave laser on each shoulder, and blades that extended from the heel. Each of those blades had a serrated edge on it. It was almost as if the person that wore the suit had taken the most powerful weapons from their suits and added to his. She also found a program in the suit's computer that appeared to do absolutely nothing at all. The only description that was given regarding that program was a phrase which read 'Setting #2.' It made no sense to her why he would have a program in the computer that did nothing. Maybe it was a power regulator setting. It would make sense to have it in a suit that generated so much power.

'_What was this person trying to take on? An army?_' Sylia asked herself when she finished looking the blueprints over. '_This looks like something Priss would want if I gave her the luxury of a new suit right now. Until I find someone to replace Mackie even temporarily, I can't worry about suit upgrades yet. However, the person that I find must be trustworthy and willing to work by my rules_.'

Sighing, she went to check the answering machine to see if there was any word from Fargo. Just her luck, Fargo had decided to grace her with some word off the streets.

"Sylia this is Fargo. I just wanted to let you know that I did some research into this person that you told me about. It seems that he is the son of a Dr. Emmett Benton. Just to let you know he has the item in question. I am still looking into how he got it but that may take some time. I have sent you all I could find out about him. What I got was by no means easy to get hold of. I don't think that this person wants too much known about him. Oh, and Sylia, it looks like Genom wants his services as well, so you be careful as well."

When she finished the message, she went to get the packet that Fargo had sent her. Finding what she needed she settled down to read it.

'_Hmm, Shaelynn Benton that name sounds familiar_,' Sylia thought. '_Oh, now I remember he was the other Valedictorian when I was in school. Anyway let me see graduated from MIT with a Master's degree in engineering, IQ of close to 230, has a Photographic memory. Height 6'0" weight 120 pounds_.' Sylia thought as she skimmed through it. "Wait a minute he's six foot tall and only weighs one-hundred twenty pounds? How can that be possible?" Sylia said in shock.

"Well, that does not seem to be important right now. What about his family life? Father: Dr. Emmett Benton was a principal shareholder and owner of a company that is the third largest in the world. Mother: Melinda Benton she was, before she died, a martial arts instructor. It says that she taught Kenjutsu, Akijutsu, and Kempo. Not bad combination. Now let me see he has three living sisters and three living brothers. Perhaps I can use him after all. He is grounded in reality it looks like. I do need a new mechanic since Mackie left the country and Dr. Raven is unable to work anymore. Although, with that photographic memory of his, it could be a problem. Especially if I have him work on the suits. He may have some connection to that renegade. If he does then he might try to find out about my connections to the Knight Sabers. I don't want to do it, but I am forced to admit that I need a new mechanic. Still that perfect recall of his could be a problem. Well, I think I will pay him a visit to see him for myself," Sylia said as she closed the packet and put it away.

"But first I need to find out about who paid for his education," Sylia said just as she was about to walk out of the apartment. "I don't want to hire someone that was backed by Genom. He could be a liability to us more than an asset. Plus there is the possibility that he could try to steal my suit designs for himself."

Going over to her computer terminal she accessed the financial records of Shaelynn's schooling. It turns out that Shaelynn's education was paid for in full by a company called COM-TECH, INC. Deciding to go deeper she found that COM-TECH was the third largest company and was not on good terms with Genom. This was mostly due to the fact that Genom was currently trying to buy out COM-TECH's primary project. However, there was not any public information available on it. What in the world could it be, Sylia wondered. When Sylia tried to go deeper into the company information, she received a warning in the form of a voice that said 'Nope, not gonna let you have it.' It was almost as if Nene had designed that bit of the security system. Everything about it looked like it had Nene's fingerprints on it. She also found out that every time Genom tried to undermine the company, COM-TECH had a special security force, that was supposedly made up of Espers that dealt with the problems.

"I see Mr. Benton employed Espers as a security force. Why would he want to do that? He is taking a dangerous risk by using Espers." Sylia asked herself. "But do I want to take the risk of hiring someone that Genom wants killed? What would his father have that would have made him a target for assassination by Genom? Does he has any connections to the blue hard suit that we saw last night? If he does, I would like to know how he got my designs?"

She also found several items of note in regards to the Chairman of the company. One of them was the fact that none of the employees had ever seen the Chairman face to face. One of the other items was that he was supposedly not human. Although the people in his company had no proof to back up that claim at all.

'_Why in the world would anyone think that he is not at all human,_' Sylia thought acidly.

The final piece that caught her eye was on a reference to something called 'The Icicle.' As Sylia looked at the reference, she saw that it pertained to the Chairman's background. As it turned out, when the Chairman's family was killed he never shed a single tear. In fact his face did not betray a single emotion at all. Some of his peers gave him that nickname as a joke. Others could see that it was more than just a joke. Those were the ones that were usually on the receiving end of the Chairman's cold remarks and stares. It was almost as if he worked with a persistency that was akin to a boomer. In fact it was rumored that he might even be a cleverly disguised boomer.

'_I can't believe that anyone could be that cold toward people,_' Sylia thought. '_First off it is unnatural for someone like him to hold in all of his emotions. I am surprised that he has not had a nervous breakdown yet. Besides even I am not that bad. Secondly, there is now way that he could be a boomer. I have never met the man, but from what I read about him, he is not a boomer. He just doesn't like to express his emotions_.'

Finally finding an address, Sylia sat and pondered whether or not to go and talk to Shaelynn. She really needed a mechanic. His address indicated that he was an owner of a repair and custom shop. It also showed that the shop was in Timex City. She was familiar with that part of Tokyo and knew right where it was at.

"It might be worth the risk, but I am not ready to tell him my true reasons for needing him," Sylia said as she left.

******

Last week had been hell for Shaelynn. Both physically and emotionally he was drained. Already, he was low on cash, and his suit needed some major repairs. The last fight had been draining and had left him exhausted. Shaelynn had to wonder what in the world he was thinking when he agreed to take the job. He had to chalk this one up to his stupidity taking control and his common sense taking a back seat. Which for him seemed to be a common enough theme. But was it really stupid to do the job that he did? It was a matter of conscious to do it. On top of which he had the bruises and scrapes to prove it. He had to fight on his own power and avoid taking any more damage to his already damaged suit. How long had it been since he had his "Blue Knight" armor in top working condition? At his last count it had been over a month. He had hoped that his "Careless maneuvers" were enough to throw off anyone that was watching him. He wanted who ever that took an interest in him to think that he was still an amateur.

It did not help matters much when he decided to tackle those six 55-C Boomers by himself and nearly got killed in the process. That was stupid and he admitted it to himself that he could have done better. In fact, he knew that he could. This was one of his moral jobs that he did that night. It was after hearing about the boomers attacking and destroying a pre-school. When he got to where his sensors said that they were at, the pre-school was already in flames. Sadly, three children were unable to be saved. Knowing that, Shaelynn almost went into a blind rage. The only targets that he had were the Boomers.

Something about knowing that children were killed by the supposed "Assemblers of Prosperity" made him hate boomers and the people that created them even more. Maybe it was because he had watched his own parents gunned down by a supposedly rouge Boomer. Or maybe it was because he had heard about two children that were orphaned in the years before Boomers became prevalent in Mega-Tokyo. With that he had developed a hatred for Genom that could only be rivaled by his hatred for Boomers. Fortunately he only kept his attacks to combat and rogue boomers. Shaelynn knew that to attack all boomers would eventually get the attention of the AD Police and that was what he did not want. He had managed to destroy only five of the six that were there. The sixth one was the one that nearly killed him. He owed an eight-year-old child his life. Something about the way he fought was fascinating, yet dangerous. But that was only the eighth time that he has used it since he got that data unit in the mail on his 18th birthday. He had also found a working prototype of the suit that he now had. Shaelynn did not like it since it was too confining. When Shaelynn built his current suit back in 2029 he had initially built it for speed and agility. It wasn't too hard to build the suit the way that he wanted it. His father's company had built an assembly plant in a sub-level of Com-Tech. When he built it, he considered several designs. One design would have been devoted to power. Shaelynn knew that a design like that would have problems in that the mobility would be decreased. Yet it would mean an increase in armor and the amount of weapon power that her could throw behind it. In some cases, too much power. He though about a suit that was dedicated to speed and agility. That would have been alright except for the fact that he needed the stopping power of decent weapons. His third design had more promise. It combined the better elements of the first two and allowed for the best aspects of versatility in regards to weapon choice. Shaelynn figured that by combining the best parts of the two other designs that he thought of would give him exactly what he needed. He was right and now the suit that he had was his perfect suit. At least for now it was. That would be until he needed to upgrade the weapons to combat Genom's advancing boomer designs.

After he built his suit he discovered another aspect of his abilities that he did not know was there. Shaelynn found that he could increase his speed and agility to four times that of a normal human being. Holding that increase for too long was dangerous. Shaelynn found out the hard way about that. He was laid up for two weeks due to total voluntary motor control loss. Fortunately he could still eat and drink. It just meant that he had to rely on his telekinetic Talent to move himself around. Shaelynn managed to hold the increase at twice that of a normal human being for several hours without tiring. Twice was usually all that he needed. Three times was the absolute maximum that he would even try. With that new information he finally found what his suit needed.

Shaelynn was busy working on his motorcycle that he attempted to use to out race that Griffon last year. And yet one more instance of where his stupidity caused him problems. He should have known that the way that the Griffon was modified, it would be much faster than a normal Griffon. Shaelynn was stubborn as a mule. Sometimes his stubbornness knew no bounds. He was not really reckless, just a thrill-seeker at heart. He just had to try to outrace it and lost. He should have noticed that the car was overly modified and there was no chance that he would have been able to out race it. That time he had left his common sense at home. He should have noticed the other cyclist that crashed in front of him that tried to out race it failed. But he did not and now his primary motorcycle needed to be repaired.

The coveralls that he was wearing just seemed to hang off of his thin frame. In fact according to some people he was too thin, but his hyper-metabolism caused him to never gain weight. There were advantages and disadvantages to that. The biggest one was in regards to his suit. He would never really have to do much of a physical adjustment to it in order to fit in it. The biggest disadvantage was the fact that he was always considered under nourished. Because of that he was also the brunt of mean and often cruel jokes as he was growing up. Although he would never let them get to him. He could not afford to get angry at anyone. Losing his temper came with a price now. A price the he did not want to pay. He was so lost in thought that he did not hear the car pull up and the door open.

As he pushed his black hair out of his dark-blue eyes, he saw a familiar person standing in his garage. The face was familiar but he could quite think of the name right now. Everything about her said that she was a woman of elegance and grace. That was enough to get his attention. Also she was very much out of place in the rough neighborhood that Shaelynn had his shop in. That much was obvious to anyone that looked in her general direction. It took a certain kind of personality to survive in Timex City. This person by his estimates was not that kind of person.

She was of average height and build and was wearing a brown business suit that looked as if it would need to be pealed off when she got home. [Author's note: The outfit that I am talking about is her brown skirt suit!! Tight fitting ain't it?] Her expression was almost unreadable, but Shaelynn could easily read past the look of stone if he really wanted to. He was rare type of Esper having three types of Esper powers telekinesis, telepathy, and the ability to teleport; so reading a person's thought's was not a problem. He just chose not to do that, which in his mind was quite rude.

"Can I help you?" Shaelynn asked coldly. He did not want to give away too much in this initial conversation with her.

"I was looking for a mechanic who would be willing to work on a few projects for me," The woman said.

'_Yup, definitely out of place here_,' Shaelynn thought coldly

"Well I am a mechanic, but what is the specific reason that you came here? I mostly do repairs on vehicles and the occasional customizing of motorcycles."

"You were recommended, by a friend. Would you be interested?"

'_Friend my ass_,' Shaelynn snorted mentally. '_Who really sent you my direction and why? Was it that tail that I scared the shit out of yesterday, or are you really here of your own accord_?'

"First off I need to know who I'll be working for if I decide to agree," Shaelynn said cautiously. He deserved to be cautious after two Genom thugs came in and started nosing around. For that matter he did not know if she was with them or not. He still had to wonder if the person that he scared had anything to do with her or not. Something about the way that he acted said that he was being paid to follow him.

It took all of his will not to want to "lift" the wrenches off of the work bench while he had a guest here. For him to do something like that would cause her to get suspicious. He did not trust her right now because she was being so evasive as to her real intentions. He also did not know how comfortable she was around Espers. In his mind how many people did he know that were comfortable around them? The only people that he knew were comfortable around him were his siblings. He did not want to frighten her off with such a trivial display of his abilities. Also the way that she would just stare at him made him nervous. It was almost as if she was making his skin crawl by looking at him.

"My name is Sylia Stingray," she said. "And your name sir?"

"Shaelynn."

"I see," Sylia said.

Shaelynn sat back down to finish working on his bike. "So why did you drive all of the way out here to my shop? It is in an out of the way part of town and I am sure that there are others that you could of asked. So why me?"

"I need someone of your experience to work on several projects for me. You will be compensated for you time and effort as well."

"Ok, so maybe I have the experience you want, but how about I think about it first?"

"Take your time," Sylia said. As she looked around the shop, she noticed that there was what looked like the remains of a combat suit thrown in the corner. Something about it was familiar. She remembered the paint scheme on it, and then the place where she saw it last hit her. It was the year before she had recruited the Knight Sabers. She had seen that suit fly through the night to some part of Tokyo and then return with the mangled remains of a combat boomer. It also matched the colors of the suit that she saw last week.

"You know you might want to keep that thing hidden so people don't find out who you are."

"That?! It's just a piece of junk." Shaelynn said as he flipped a tarp over it.

"I see." Sylia said. '_Who is he trying to fool? So he is the Blue Knight! Where did he get my designs? Why is Genom after him in the first place_?' Sylia thought as she looked over his shop. It was neat and tidy but it had the feel of it was functional and could be used. It was amazing that he kept a clean work area all of the time. Yet something about how clean the place was, disturbed her. It was almost as if it had an antiseptic feel to it.

Sylia turned and walked to the door. "I have to go now. Please tell me if you decide one way or the other about the job." She said over her shoulder.

"Ok I will. Hey! How do I get hold of you?" he called out as the figure disappeared.

'_That woman is about to drive me nuts_,' Shaelynn thought.

As Shaelynn watched her leave, he knew that she was right, he should do a better job of hiding it. If she knew that he was the "Blue Knight," then who is to say that someone else has not already figured it out. He would not have been surprised if Genom knew as well. If Genom knew that he had such a suit then there would be more of a reason to want him dead. If not that, then to take the suit for their own. There was no way that he could fix his suit without some cash. Maybe he would take the job offered if only to get cash to fix his suit. Shaelynn knew that he could use the facilities at COM-TECH to fix his suit. He also knew that if he were to go there right now there would more than likely be several Genom agents waiting for him. Eventually Shaelynn would have a confrontation with Genom and only one person would walk away from it. When that day came, Shaelynn hoped that he would be the one that came away the victor.

The question that tugged at his mind was what were the projects that she wanted him to work on? He realized that he could have scanned her mind to find out the truth. He was half tempted to do just that. Shaelynn knew however, that to scan someone's mind with out their permission was wrong. He also had one other problem how could he get hold of her to tell her that he was interested in the job.

Shaelynn did not trust her at all. He had good reasons not to trust her. Her actions alone proved that much to him. This puzzled him though. How did she know just where to look and who to ask for? The friend that she was talking about could have been anyone. There was more to what she wanted than she was letting on. Or was she? Shaelynn was prone to being a bit paranoid from time to time and this could be counted as one of those instances. For all he knew was the she could be working for Genom too and wanted the Data Unit that he kept hidden. Yet something in her manner said that she did not like Genom. Shaelynn was not going to take any chances at all in regards to this. He had not survived several "incidents" by being stupid. It was his over cautious nature that allowed him to survive. If anything he would find out more when she came back to get his answer. But before then he needed to do some digging on her as well. This was to be certain that he could actually trust her. It did not surprise him one bit if she had done the same thing before she came to talk to him. Quite frankly he would have done the same thing in her position. He was hungry, so he decided to clean up and go into town to eat.

******

Later that afternoon, Sylia had just finished closing Silky Dolls for the evening when two women came in. One was a red head and the other was a black haired woman wearing a dark blue business suit.

"Well ladies, it is possible that we may have a new mechanic soon," Sylia said.

"Oh who is it?" The red head asked excitedly.

"Nene, his name is Shaelynn Benton. Also it is possible that he can be trusted not to tell anyone who we really are," Sylia said coolly.

"Are you absolutely sure Sylia? I mean can he really be trusted," The black-haired one asked. "You just found him today and already you are thinking of telling him who we really are?"

"No Linna, I am not going to tell him everything just yet. However, your point has some merit in it," Sylia said. "Now Linna I want you and Nene to find him and keep a close eye on him."

"What about Priss? Shouldn't we tell her as well," Nene asked. "Besides we don't even know where he hangs out."

"Well he always frequents Hot Legs so I suppose you can find him there. I will tell Priss about this myself. Also I want you two to check into some things that I have been wondering about him," Sylia said as she finished locking the shop for the night.

"Ok, we'll go and find him," Linna said. "What exactly do you want us to check into for you?"

"I need to know everything about him. Where he lives, if he has any family, and where they live. I need to know all there is to know about him," Sylia said.

"Ok we will do as you ask," Nene said with a mock salute.

Linna just groaned in disgust as she drug Nene out of the shop.

Watching them leave, Sylia allowed herself a rare smile to cross her face. At times she envied their almost child-like enthusiasm. Nene in particular was a constant source for humor among the others. She knew that it was not by accident that she chose the other three. Once the shop was secure, Sylia went back upstairs to her penthouse. As she made herself some tea, she decided to check the records of COM-TECH one more time. This time she was looking for a name. Specifically the name of the current Chairman. She did find a name eventually. The name was Shaelynn Benton. Unfortunately, there was no picture on file anywhere of him. She was curious to see if it was the same person that she went to school with all of those years ago. Then it donned on her. The name of the shop owner that she talked to was Shaelynn Benton.

"That is impossible," Sylia said as she took a sip of her tea. "Why in the world would a company head be working in a motorcycle custom shop? Besides, from what I have seen of him, he is not at all cold and unfeeling."

Sighing, Sylia finished her tea and then went to attend to other business that she had to do. Most of which entailed deciding on what exactly she wanted Shaelynn to do for her. However, in the middle of her planning, she received an urgent message. The sender was anonymous. All it said was that a massive boomer would be set loose on the city. The AD Police would be unable to handle it and "The Blue Knight" had disappeared. The Knight Sabers were requested to handle it. Their fee was already taken care of and deposited into their accounts.

This surprised Sylia. More to the point it bothered her. Who would have direct access into her personal computer? She knew that Nene did not have the pass codes to access it. So that could only mean that an outside hacker had hacked her system and placed the job there that way. She did not have time to do her usual background search on the person that sent it since she had no name to go on or for that matter where the message originated from. For now she would not question it. However, when she had the time she would delve into it more. Not to mention upgrade the security on her personal terminal as well.

******

Shaelynn had just finished cleaning himself and decided to go to his usual hang out to eat and catch a show. This was the one time that he did not mind getting dirty. It was a change from the constant suits and ties that he had to wear when his presence was required at Com-Tech. On top of which, if he needed to do some things that would require some discretion, the shop would be a perfect place to do them. Shaelynn had always left explicit instructions to only get him if what ever was being worked on needed his approval. He knew that if he were to be there constantly, there would be the possibility that he would be spotted. Shaelynn put all of that out of his mind since he was going to have some fun that evening. Getting on his spare bike, he tore down the highway into town. He loved to ride fast regardless of the time, and tonight was no exception.

There was heavy traffic on the streets and deciding to be either daring, defiant, or just plain stupid, Shaelynn started to weave in and out of traffic. Occasionally he would pass between two cars that were side by side each other. He had managed to scare three people as he tore past their cars. Glancing down at his speedometer he noticed that he was going at 180 kph that was at least 50 kph over the limit. Maybe it was good fortune today, but this was the first time that he didn't get a ticket for reckless driving, let alone he was glad that he did not wreck his bike. Since this was his spare he did not want to do anything too stupid.

Not worrying about it right now, Shaelynn found the club that he usually went to. It was a seedy joint but the music was good and, granted the food tasted like crap, he enjoyed the atmosphere. Eating his fill, Shaelynn went onto the main floor to find a good spot to wait for the concert to start. Shaelynn also noticed a familiar face in the waiting fans. His younger brother Tommy was here as well. This was a welcome sight to all of the other faces in the crowd. Between Shaelynn and Tommy they always knew when the band here had a gig and never missed a show.

Also tonight for some reason Shaelynn got this chill that ran down his spine, as he waited for the show. He could not tell if the feeling was good or bad. The feeling was vague at best. There were four unfamiliar faces in the crowd that he had never seen or, for that matter, remembered. He knew every face in the crowds of people after only seeing them once. It was amazing that he could remember all of the patrons names or faces after only one meeting. Shaelynn had perfect recall. That was his blessing, or his curse as he called it. He remembered vividly, watching two boomers kill his mother and father in the years after the Second Kanto Earthquake. He also remembered the expressions on the doctor's faces when they told him that his parents died and he did not even shed one tear. But since his sisters also lived in Tokyo he was raised by a good family.

Yet these four were new to the club or so he thought. Extending a tendril of thought out, he lightly scanned their minds to check their true intentions. The first mind he touched was that of a very bubbly red head who almost had too much to drink.

'_No threat there. Still she should be careful on how much she drinks_,' Shaelynn thought. '_Oh I see Sylia sent her and the other one with her to keep an eye on me. A clever woman! Yet why though_?'

The next mind that he touched was that of her companion. She was mulling over stocks and bonds, while keeping a discreet eye on Shaelynn.

'_Also, not a threat. Yet she is money crazed. Pity that she is so fickle when it comes to men. She would almost be cute if not for that. I see that she is also here at Sylia's request,_' Shaelynn thought. '_Why in the world does Sylia have these two watching me? Why do they want to know all about me? Something is going on here and I don't like it. If she is trying to make me even more paranoid then she is doing a good job of it. Yet something about they way that they are __watching me makes me wonder if there is more to them than they want me to believe_.'

The third mind that he felt was interesting. It felt as if he were touching the mind of another Esper. Yet he thought that he was the only Esper in the building. The most overriding thought in his mind was: '_she better not get killed. If she even gets hurt by that bastard he will be sorry.'_

'_Ok a possible threat. I don't know who this guy is but he seems to be powerful. I hope that he doesn't get out of control. I don't think I could stop him. At least not with out using my powers,_' Shaelynn thought with a shudder.

The final unfamiliar mind that he sensed really scared him. It felt as if he were scanning a hollow block of tin and the only thing that was inside of it was feelings of death, violence, rejection, and yearning. He was looking into the mind of a sociopathic murderer.

'_Ok a definite threat. Not to me but to whom_?' Shaelynn wondered. '_Could it be to the band? I don't know. I sure hope that it is not the band that he is a threat to. If he is then I will have to stop him.'_

While waiting, the people moved in closer the two women that were at the bar were on either side of him, Tommy had moved closer to the stage and that got Shaelynn very nervous for some reason, and the sociopath was in front of him. That alone did not sit too well for him. The thing was he had brushed against Shaelynn and he had managed to get a deep reading on him. The images that he got from his mind scared him. There were more flashes of violence and death. The overriding thought in his mind was to make sure that he and his current "love interest" would be together. This person was the lead singer of the band that was playing tonight.

'_The son of a bitch will kill the lead singer if I don't do something_,' Shaelynn thought when he passed by. It was enough to make him visibly shudder. '_Question is how to stop him? And especially without causing a horrible racket in the process._' The other man was in a dark corner waiting to see the show. He was eying the man in front of Shaelynn and more importantly Shaelynn and his younger brother as well. It was obvious that Shaelynn was nervous. Somebody was watching him and his brother. This unnerved him and he started to get jumpy.

"Hey why are you sho nervous?" the red head slurred, which caused Shaelynn to jump in fright.

"Um shouldn't she be taken home if she is so drunk," Shaelynn asked as he looked at her. The smell of alcohol was present on her breath. It was enough to make Shaelynn recoil in disgust. How in the world a woman could get so drunk off of what smelled like bubble gum schnapps, Shaelynn will never know. For that matter why would she want to drink that stuff in the first place?

He remembered seeing what a late-twentieth-century comedian called "the Satan schnapps experience." It involved his two oldest sisters having a drinking party with several of her guy friends. He watched Kim polish off a full bottle of peppermint schnapps like it was water. However, the reaction that he saw later when all of the alcohol kicked in, was enough to make his skin crawl. She was shaking and gyrating like she was a tumble weed blowing in the wind. Since that day he swore off drinking that kind of alcohol.

"I'm snot drunk," the red head replied.

"You're not," Shaelynn asked skeptically. "Would you please take her home?" Shaelynn then asked her friend. As he got a good look at the red-head's friend, something clicked in the back of his mind. It was almost as if she was familiar. Trying to recall where he had seen her before, Shaelynn drew a blank. He passed it off as the atmosphere that was distracting him from thinking about it.

"Sorry, but we are here for the duration of the concert. Nene you are a real pain you know that," The black-haired woman said to her friend. "If you start to strip I don't know you!"

"No, I'm not a pain Linna," Nene said. "And who said anything about me stripping?"

Ignoring the exchange, Shaelynn saw that the show was about to start. He could see that the lights were starting to dim and the band was walking out on stage. The music was going and the lead singer was strutting around the stage smiling and looking the crowd over. Shaelynn sighed. He had to admit to himself that she was beautiful. If he did not already like someone else, Shaelynn knew that he would try to win her heart. But Shaelynn had to tell himself that relationships of any sort would cloud his judgement when he had matters that only the "Blue Knight" could attend to. He knew that she always started her show the same way, but when she started with a new song, Shaelynn was impressed. It was obvious that she liked to keep her fans guessing. It was an up tempo song and he liked it. During one of her usual songs that sociopath decided to attempt to make his move. However, as he tried to move forward he found himself stuck in his tracks. Looking around he could not see anyone that was grabbing him, so he waited patiently. Linna and Nene however, could see that Shaelynn was concentrating on something. They did not know what it was, but it was starting to take an effect on him, because they could see him starting to sweat.

The concert ended and everyone left including that sociopath. Shaelynn noticed that the man in the dark corner of the bar just melted into the shadows and vanished. The way he seemed to disappear began to eat at the back of Shaelynn's mind. Apparently, either the man could create very convincing illusions or was actually able to use the shadows to move. Shaelynn was inclined to think that it was the latter. Tommy and Shaelynn went into the other half of the club to get some beer, and to relax. While Shaelynn was relaxing, he spied the lead singer of the band. Getting up from his seat, Shaelynn went over to talk to her. Tommy on the other hand, was content to watch his older brother from his table and continued to sip on his beer. Tommy knew that Shaelynn was just being friendly and was just wanting to talk to her. Tommy was the one that had fallen in love with her after coming to one her concerts. He knew that constantly following someone around is wrong so he was content to come to her concerts. Besides he was too bashful to ever tell her how he really felt. Would she even accept his feelings in the first place? He really doubted it. He figured that she had someone that she was attracted to and would not even be interested in him. Even though he knew all of her songs by heart he loved to hear her sing each and every one of them. Something about hearing them live was always a treat for him.

"Um, mind if I sit," Shaelynn asked indicating the open bar stool next to her.

"If you want," she said.

Shaelynn was at a loss for what to say. He decided to introduce himself.

"I was wondering, why do you and the other guy at the table back there always show up to all my shows," she asked. "You aren't some crazed fans are you?"

"Well to answer your questions; first, we just like your music, and second, no we are not crazed fans," Shaelynn said in his own defense. "You know I don't even know your name. I mean here I am liking your music and I don't have a name to put with some of the best music I have ever heard."

"My name is Priss, of Priss and the Replicants. For someone who likes the music and you don't even know who the group is? Geez you are pathetic!" She said. "Now who the hell are you? You aren't some stupid record exec. are you?"

"Well Priss, my name is Shaelynn, and no I am not a record exec. either. I just own a garage nearby where I work on motorcycles. I do a little customizing on the side," Shaelynn said. "My sister is the one that owns the recording studio. To be quite honest with you I think that you might be someone that my sister would want sign."

"Shaelynn you said your name was? I don't know about signing with your sister's label but I might just look into it," Priss said. "You have just made yourself a friend. Tell me do you ride?"

"Yep! Sure do. My bike is out front," Shaelynn said. "Why? You up for a late night ride or something?"

"Sure if your bike can keep up with mine," Priss said challengingly.

"I can sure try," Shaelynn said rising up to the challenge.

"Well let me get changed and then we'll see," Priss said.

"Ok I will wait outside for you," Shaelynn said as he left the club.

'_She's a nice person in her own way. Yet she does need someone to help her up when she falls. Someone who can always be there for her. Sides she's not my type though,_' Shaelynn thought sadly. '_Yet I have noticed the way that Tommy looks at her. Is my little brother in love with Priss? I think that he is in love with her. Yet does she feel the same about him? I hope he doesn't let his heart lead him around. It could be his undoing._'

Tommy caught up to Shaelynn and told him that he had some things to take care of and would see him later. After saying good bye to him, Shaelynn went outside to wait for Priss. Shaelynn wondered what Tommy was up to, and why in the world was he being so secretive. This was so unlike his brother. Yet in a way he could understand why he was being secretive. He too was that way.

******

While waiting outside for Priss to show up, Shaelynn had a chance encounter with the person that he thought might be an Esper.

"Hey buddy," he said.

"Huh, who's there," Shaelynn asked looking around. He did not like to be caught unprepared.

"Me that's who," the voice said.

"Does this me have a name," Shaelynn asked.

"Akira Asagiri." He said stepping out of the shadows.

"Well Akira what can I do for you?" Shaelynn asked.

"I will tell you only after I know who you are." Akira said.

"Fair enough, my name is Shaelynn Benton. Now what can I do for you?" Shaelynn said.

"I sensed your scan in the club, and just as a warning,** I wouldn't ** do it again. I would have no qualms about killing you, if you tried that, or even a deep scan. Why do you think I didn't offer to shake your hand?" Akira said.

"True enough. Is that it?" Shaelynn asked.

"One more thing, If anything happens to my baby sister Priss, I will find the person that hurt her and I will make sure that he or she will pay the ultimate price. I pity anyone who tries to stop me." Akira said as he disappeared back into the shadows.

'_Oh crap! So I was right in thinking that he was an Esper. Oh this is really cute, now that I know that he is Priss' older brother this has gone from bad to worse. Could Priss be an Esper too?_' Shaelynn thought quickly. He really did not like the prospects of knowing that someone like Akira could end up being his worst enemy. "What is taking Priss so long?" Shaelynn wondered out loud.

******

Priss had just finished changing into her riding leathers when her pager went off. She knew who it was with out even looking at the number. How was she going to explain this one to Shaelynn when she was just now unable to go for that ride? Priss knew that she would have to come up with something. Finding a phone, she called Sylia.

"Sylia what's up I got your page." Priss said quietly on the phone.

"Is anyone listening?" Sylia asked.

"Nope." Priss said.

"Well it seems that Genom let loose a Boomer on the city and the AD Police can not stop it." Sylia said rather upset.

"That figures! AD Police is just a bunch of weaklings. All right I'll be there in a few minutes, I just have to cancel an appointment with a friend." Priss said.

"Who is the friend?" Sylia asked.

"He's one of the regulars at the club. Name's Shaelynn." Priss said.

"I see, well hurry up." Sylia said.

"Ok." Priss said and hung up the phone. '_Damn and here I was looking forward to a nice long ride with him to see if he is really as good as he claims to be.'_ Priss thought as she left the club.

******

Just as Shaelynn was about to leave, he saw Priss coming out of the back door. Running over to meet her, he thought he saw something. Thinking it was nothing he met up with Priss. When he saw her she looked really upset.

"Priss is there something wrong?" Shaelynn asked.

"No, just that I'll have to cancel our ride tonight." Priss said. "I remembered that I had already made plans. Maybe some other time?"

"Sure I understand." Shaelynn said. "Well it was good meeting you Priss." He said as he extended his hand.

"Likewise." Priss said as she shook it.

At that casual contact he had got a deep scan of her not on purpose but just by the pure nature of his powers. Shaking his head he just smiled as she rode off.

'_My damned powers._' Shaelynn swore mentally. '_Why did I have to be cursed with them? I can't have any casual contact without deeply scanning someone and finding out all there is about them. I really hate them now more than ever. Hold on, Priss is a what? There is just no way that Priss is one of the Knight Sabers. Yet if she is then why in the world would she want anything to do with me? Especially if she found out that I am an Esper. For that matter if the other Knight Sabers knew that she knew me then I would have to answer some questions that I don't want to answer just yet._'

Getting on his bike he started to ride for home. However, on his way home he came across a fire fight between the AD Police and a dangerous Boomer. It was twelve feet tall and it was splashed with a unique paint job. It was painted a deep crimson and had bronze trim. This thing had two units of the AD Police pinned down with its laser fire. On top of that there was no way to even deflect the attacks. This was a fight that AD Police was not going to win. Not even by a long shot. What they needed was a miracle. If only he was able to be that miracle for them.

There was an Esper in the group as well. She was inexperienced in field combat. She was a very powerful Telekinetic in her own right. This was one of the reasons that she requested to be a part of the main troops. When this boomer fired near her she almost screamed in panic. What stopped her from screaming was the fact that she sensed another Esper approaching. Something about him caused her to calm down. It did not help matters much that there was three officers down and no way to get to them.

Shaelynn, in a panic, grabbed his front breaks and pitched forward off his bike. He skidded along the pavement to with in inches of the downed officers. How he managed to avoid the hail of bullets was anyone's guess. Some how Shaelynn was able to shield both himself and the downed officers from the Boomer and the bullets that whizzed overhead. He had to block out the pain of skidding along the pavement. Shaelynn was an experienced rider to know to not grab the front brakes of a motorcycle as he did.

'_Crap! Now what in the hell do I think I am doing? _Shaelynn asked himself. _I can't get them or myself to safety the easy way without blowing my cover. If anyone knew that I was an Esper I would be a dead man!! Hold on a __minute, there's and Esper among the AD Police. Why won't she help? Ah I see she is scared._'

Just as he thought he was going to die, he saw a flash of silver. Looking up he saw one of the Knight Sabers standing in front of him. It was their leader the one in silver and blue.

"Hold on I'll get you and them to safety." She said. Shaelynn felt himself being picked up and carried out of the battle zone. The Knight Saber then picked up the others and got them out as well. Picking himself up, he figured that he should try to help out as best that he could.

Watching the Knight Sabers fight, he decided to surprise them a little. Focusing on the Blue Knight Saber's weapon, the blade cannons, he waited until she shot at the boomer. The response was one that she was not even expecting. Instead of the blade imbedding into the Boomer, it went completely inside that monstrosity and exploded. The expressions on the faces of the AD Police was that of shock. This was the first time that they had actually seen one of the Knight Sabers' weapons do that amount of damage. Rumors were spread around the squad room that none of the Knight Sabers were as strong as they would like everyone to believe. With this display all of those rumors were put to rest once and for all. The hole that it left was big enough to stick a fist through.

Taking advantage of this, the one in green and gold threw her electrified daggers into the hole and proceeded to short the boomer out. The others the came in and helped destroy it.

Shaelynn figured one way to help out as well. He managed to Telekineticly pull any of the AD Police officers that went down out of the line of fire and shielded them from any stray laser fire from that boomer. This fight was nasty and Shaelynn wished that he could have helped out more, but his suit was not in the condition that he wanted it to be in for combat of the type that the Police was currently in. There was no way that he could use his abilities to affect that boomer. If only he was able to do more. Even if he did help out then the Knight Sabers would want to talk to him. Shaelynn was not ready to tell them anything at all. For that matter why would he want to tell them anything in the first place? It was none of their business. Quite frankly he would never tell them anything anyway.

******

Feeling satisfied with himself, Shaelynn headed for home to do some late night work. He needed to find out all that he could on his prospective employer. From when he talked to her, Shaelynn could sense a sincerity about her that caused him to want to trust her. Yet his instincts said to find out more about her first before he did anything rash. In this case, Shaelynn was wise to trust his instincts. As soon as Shaelynn got home, he went to his terminal and started to do his digging on Sylia Stingray. He found enough information to fill several disks. He decided to print it off and read it. Shaelynn keyed his printer to print it off while he took a nice long bath.

"Oh man what was I thinking?" Shaelynn asked himself as he soaked in the tub. "I should've known better than to try to save them with out my armor. Well at least the Police officers are safe. Had this been two months ago I would have let them die where they were. Yet my conscious would not let me do something like that now. Besides I could've been killed and then the woman that I really like would never even know. Course she doesn't even know to begin with. Besides what do I tell her in the first place? I can't walk up to her and just blurt out how I feel about her. That would be very rude. Though that would be the last thing that she would expect from me. Yet I can't help but thinking about that Esper that was with the AD Police. She had the potential to help but, she was scared. I don't blame her for being scared. Hell, I was scared the first time I went out. I think that with time she would be able to help them even better. That is if she isn't killed by a boomer."

While he soaked in the tub the face of the woman that he briefly met at club came to mind. He had seen her somewhere before he was sure of it. If only he could remember.

"What good is a photographic memory if I can't remember a single face," Shaelynn sighed. "I wonder if she is the person that I rescued from those thugs back in 2028?"

Shrugging, Shaelynn then sank in the tub up to his nose and just laid there in silence. Looking up at the ceiling of his bathroom, Shaelynn let his mind wander. This was one of the only times that he would allow himself a moment of personal time.

"A familiar ceiling," Shaelynn said aloud. "Though it is always going to be unfamiliar to me. At least on some level."

Finishing his bath Shaelynn changed into a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt and grabbed the print outs of what he found. Looking at his terminal he saw that the information had a tracer built into it. Swearing about his carelessness, Shaelynn covered his tracks as best that he could.

"Now let's see what I have found out about Ms. Stingray." Shaelynn said as he settled down on the couch with a soda. "Name: Sylia Stingray. Born: March 15, 2010. Parents: Doctor Katsuhito Stingray and Cassandra Stingray. Went to High school at Juban High. Was one of two Valedictorians. Wait a minute! Juban High that place is familiar. Well aside from the fact that I went there as well. I could swear that I have heard of the Principal that was there. Makoto Kino-Adams. That name really sounds familiar."

"Ok that explains the who about her." Shaelynn said as he took a drink of his can of soda. "Let's see, Father: Died in 2022, Mother: Missing since 2020. I wonder what actually happened to her mother? I wouldn't be surprised if she is still alive some where. Has one younger brother. Name: Mackie Stingray. Current whereabouts: Missing since August 23, 2034. That was right after the incident of a terrorist attempt to blow up the Fusion reactor. Terrorist my eye!!" Shaelynn said with a snort. "That was fuckin' Largo. The little twerp doesn't know the meaning of the word die dose he? Trying to cover up the fact that a Genom-made hyper-boomer with delusions of god-hood tried to blow up all of Tokyo. Talk about stupid. No that was not stupid, that was just insane. I wonder if this Largo character had anything to do with the just recently deceased Brian J. Mason? Maybe he does and then again maybe he does not. Besides this is not what I do anyway. All I do is work on motorcycles and occasionally hire myself out as a mercenary. Just what in the world happened to Mackie anyway? Did he die and the body was never found or what? Well if she wants me to find her brother, then she better expect to pay my fee if I have to go looking for him. I don't work for cheap. This is one of the reasons that I wished that I had kept the original suit at my shop so that way I could still do dangerous jobs."

"Anyway, Place of Employment: Owner of Silky Dolls Lingerie Shop." Shaelynn said after calming down. He really hated getting himself worked up over nothing. Shaelynn knew that it did him no good at all. "There is no way in hell that I am going in there any time soon. Well I am not so certain that she is not connected to Genom. I should take the job anyway, since I need the cash and it will be something to do besides fixing motorcycles all day. Something about the way she was acting just isn't right. I don't know maybe she is hiding something from me. No, she is hiding something from me and I want to know what it is exactly. I wonder if she has any connections to that mercenary group that is in this town? I think that they are called the Knight Sabers or some jazz like that. They have to be getting their technology from some where. I know that I have my suit and it is one of a kind. Well I have the original that Dad made and all of the original weapons for that. That was what Dad wanted in the first place. I think that he made it with the knowledge that it would be used for a good purpose."

After Shaelynn finished reading the Data on Ms. Stingray, he fell asleep on the couch and drifted of into a long dream-filled sleep. In the middle of the night Shaelynn woke up and had a flash of insight.

"My Vice President's name is Kino-Adams. I think he said that his father's name was Shane Adams and his mother was principal at the High School where he went as a kid." Shaelynn said as he sat bolt upright. "Course the guy is only 30. It is scary that I am 24 and the head of the third largest company and my Vic-President is older than me."

After that Shaelynn went back to sleep.

******

As the remains of the front line troops filed back in to the AD Police building, there was the usual chatter about the inefficiency of their attempts to stop that boomer. In another part of the squad bay, the lone female of the forty-fifth response team was quietly stowing her gear and getting her things to take a shower. She was lost in thought. All that she could do at the moment was replay the events that she went through only about four hours ago. Each time she ended back at a mind that kept telling her to calm down and don't get scared. She could not tell who it was that did that, but whoever it was had some power to him. That much scared her. Something about the mind that she felt had a calming effect to it. She just could not put a finger on it, but she had to meet him at least once to talk to him. It bothered her that there was an Esper that could do what he did and not bat an eyelash. It was his calming presence that helped her to not panic as much as she used to.

"Gwen, what's the matter?" one of the other guys asked.

"It is nothing." Gwen responded. "Nothing that should be worried about."

"Oh, Ok never mind then." The guy said as he walked away.

When Gwen was finally alone she was able to think in peace and decided how she was going to go about talking to him. She figured that the best way to talk to him was to find out where he worked and talk to him there. The only problem with that was she had no idea where he worked. For that matter she did not even know his name. It bugged her that she had been in contact with an Esper that was stronger than her. But she had to tell herself that there were going to be Espers that were stronger than her.

******

Leon could not believe the inefficiency of the front line troops. They could not even destroy that boomer that was released on the city. Also to make matters even worse than they already were, the person that usually showed up did not even show up at all. He had heard of the rumors that were going around the station house that the chief was going to hire this armored person. Leon knew that he would have to some detective work on his own to find out who this mysterious person in armor really was.

******

Sylia woke up in a sweat. Looking at the clock she saw that it said 2:45 a.m. This was the third time in as many days that she was having the same nightmare. It always happens the same way and sometimes it would repeat itself. The room that she was in was dark. How big she did not know. She could not even see the other walls. The only thing that she saw was a mirror. As she approached it, she could see her reflection. When she was close enough to reach out and touch it with her hand, the mirror rippled and her reflection stepped out of it. It then proceeded to ask her one question. "Can you truly be happy the way you are?" Sylia was either unable or unwilling to answer the question, because her reflection then started to advance toward her. Her reflection picked her up and threw her into the mirror. Instead of shattering, the mirror rippled like water and Sylia goes through it with ease. Finding herself trapped, Sylia began to panic. This in turn caused her to wake up.

This time when she had the nightmare it was different in some way. The dream happened as normal, but after she was trapped behind the mirror she saw a figure surrounded in light. Looking at it she felt at peace. Then the figure disappeared again and the blackness closed in around her.

"Why am I having this nightmare?" Sylia asked herself. "Of course I am happy. Yet, the figure in the light made me feel at peace for the first time in twelve years. Who is that figure?"

Focusing on that figure she went back to sleep. The rest of her sleep was not troubled at all. In fact her dream were very peaceful. One was a scene of her getting married to a very tall man with dark hair. Another was of her dying in her husband's arms. The figure that held her was still shrouded in darkness. In this one the last thing that she heard was him saying 'I Love you my darling.' Waking up one more time this time not as disturbed as before Sylia just shook this one off and went back to sleep.

The next day Sylia decided to pay Shaelynn a visit to see if he had decided on her offer or not. If he did agree then she could start very slowly having him work on little projects for her. If he completed them up to her standards then she would start trusting him to work on their suits and Motoroids. The nightmares from the night before were still in her mind. Sylia knew that she must put them aside and deal with them later. She was not going to allow this one to get to her like the last one did in 2033.

"Well he should agree to the job, besides he needs to fix his suit and that takes money." Sylia said. "Where is he getting the materials to build it and how did he get my designs? I hope that he is not working for Genom. If he was then I would hate to have to kill him."

Deciding on what she was going to do, she got dressed and left to go speak to him.

******

Shaelynn was up at his usual time of 6:00 am. Something about the events of his sleep still did not set too well with him. He knew that something was not right and yet he could not put his finger on it. What did the dream mean? Did it have a meaning or was he trying to put meaning to something that should not have one? At the moment he did not want to think that deeply since it would give him a headache. He drove over at his shop and practice room to work out. It was always a welcome thing for him to get all of the kinks out of his muscles early in the morning. Shaelynn had just finished several of his forms and decided to go shower and eat breakfast. At 9:00 he started to open his shop for business. As soon as he opened the garage door he started to exercise his mental muscles. It could almost be considered trivial that he did that every single morning. However, it kept him in good practice incase he really had to use them.

Standing with his back to the open door, Shaelynn concentrated and then his motorcycle that he was working on started to move over to the spot that he needed it to be in. Once again he was not paying any attention to his surroundings. He was so busy moving things into place that the sound of footsteps did not even register until it was too late.

"Um Mr. Benton." The voice said and was greeted with silence from Shaelynn.

"May I ask just what you are doing?" The voice said again.

Turning around Shaelynn saw Sylia standing there. She was looking at him with one of her emotionless expressions. Yelling in fright, Shaelynn dropped the box of tools all over the floor behind him.

"Uh you saw what I was . . . Oh crap!!" Shaelynn said feeling guilty. This was the first time, aside from his family, that anyone had actually saw him using his powers this openly.

"Yes I did, could you please clarify what it was I saw." Sylia said.

"This could take some time and I don't have it to explain right now." Shaelynn said. "What can I do for you though?" Shaelynn asked as he picked up the tools on the floor.

"I came to ask you if you were interested in my offer?" Sylia asked.

"Yes I am interested, but I have a couple of questions for you." Shaelynn said coldly.

"Ok. What are they?" Sylia asked.

"First, just what am I going to be doing for you? And what do you really need me for?" Shaelynn asked bluntly.

"Well as I said I want you to work on several projects for me." Sylia said.

"What is it exactly that you want me to do?" Shaelynn asked as he turned around. "Wait a minutes now I remember where I have heard your name before."

"You have?" Sylia asked cautiously.

"Yeah, You're Dr. Stingray's daughter aren't you? Dad was a colleague of his while he was alive." Shaelynn said. " I want the truth as to what you really want from me."

"Yes I am his daughter." Sylia said nervously. "What I want you to do is to design and build a motorcycle that will be able to handle excess amounts of stress and abuse."

"Look I can design the motorcycle that you want, but I have to go through some channels to get the parts to build it. It will not be easy or cheap for that matter." Shaelynn said. "Why do you want it?"

"For a friend of mine who abuses her motorcycles too much." Sylia said. "Now I have a question for you. If you are the son of Dr. Benton then why are you running a repair and custom shop for motorcycles instead of in charge of his company?"

"Oh that? Well I had to open this place when I was 17. It was a deal that I made with Dad to prove to him that I was worthy to run his company when I turned 18." Shaelynn said with a proud grin.

"Then, in December of 2027 my parents were killed by two supposedly rouge boomers," Shaelynn said his face growing dark at the memory. "The AD Police ruled it off as a random act of violence and that was the end of it. I knew the truth of the whole matter." Shaelynn then said shuddering. "They were gunned down right in front of me."

"I see." Sylia said. "So why are you not in charge of your father's company then?"

"Because I don't want to be. Besides I like working here. It keeps me away from the truth of why my parents were killed. Even if I wanted to run it I couldn't."

"If you knew the truth then why have you not done something about it?"

"And end up dead like Mom and Dad did?" Shaelynn snapped. '_Is she that insensitive as well? I can't tell anyone what I know because of what happened._' Shaelynn thought.

"If I even tried to do anything toward Genom then my siblings and I would have been killed." Shaelynn then said with a small fire smoldering in his eyes.

"I am truly sorry if I brought up some painful memories but I had to know." Sylia said as she laid a hand on his arm.

Shaelynn had a look of shock on his face the instant that she touched him. Everything that happened to Sylia came flooding in. The memories of the night that she saw her father's laboratory in ruins and her father was dead. The face of the man that pulled the trigger was also prevalent in her mind as well. Everything that had left an impact on her was exposed for him to see. Some things that he really did not want to see, but he did. Even that she was the leader of the Knight Sabers. There was one strange image that he saw. It was of a man about his height and build in a glowing light with a very serene look on his face.

"It's not you fault." Shaelynn said as he turned away and brushing her off at the same time. "You're the only one to ever ask me about it. Um I'll have the designs done within the week."

"Alright I will be back on Saturday to pick it up." Sylia said as she left in rush.

"Bye and see you on Saturday." Shaelynn said as he watched her leave. '_Once again I scanned someone with out their permission. Damn it! That's it, I am wearing gloves and long sleeves year round. My heart goes out to you Sylia. You lost your father when you were so young. I know that it hurts to lose someone. I can't do anything to ease that pain. I wish that I could. Yet why did she have that image in her mind? Does it have something to do with her nightmares that she has been having? I don't know it's not my problem._' Shaelynn growled mentally. "She shouldn't be so cold to everyone." Shaelynn said out-loud.

About that time Shaelynn heard the sound of a motorcycle that sounded like it was about to fall apart. Looking up he saw the motorcycle coming in his shop and then just fell apart. The person riding it was not very happy. As soon as the rider pulled of the helmet Shaelynn recognized her.

"Priss, what the hell did you do to your bike?" Shaelynn asked in shock. He knew from when he shook Priss' hand that she considered her bikes her babies. Granted she rode them to within an inch of their lives, but that was how she rode.

"I didn't, some ass hole decided to try and trash it." Priss said in disgust.

"Geez Priss who'd even dare do something like that?" Shaelynn asked.

"I don't know," Priss said nervously. "But I have an idea."

"Priss, I don't mean to pry but is there something wrong?" Shaelynn asked her as he moved her bike into the shop. It was her tone that caused Shaelynn to worry about her.

"Um no there ain't a thing wrong." Priss said dismissing his question without even answering it.

"Yes there is Priss. I can tell by just the way you're acting that something's got you spooked." Shaelynn said as he grabbed her by the arm. "Now please as a friend tell me what is wrong and perhaps I can help you."

"Alright already." Priss said as she wrenched free of his grasp. "Can we talk in your office though?"

"Sure Priss." Shaelynn said as he lead her to his office and shut the door.

"Now what's wrong? You look as if you are in some kind of trouble," Shaelynn asked as sat down on the edge of the desk. "Well are you?"

"Well so long as you tell no one this." Priss started.

"You have my word of honor that I will not say a word to anyone." Shaelynn said.

"Well I think that someone is following me. I don't know why, but that is what is going on." Priss said shaking. "I have seen this man constantly. He seems to know where I go and what I do. I don't know what he wants. He may have even followed me over here as well."

"Priss if that's what's wrong why didn't you tell the Police that you are being followed?" Shaelynn asked.

"Why? They'd just brush it off." Priss snapped back.

"Priss I realize that, but what I don't understand is why would anyone to follow you like they are?" Shane asked very concerned.

"I don't know either." Priss said still shaking. "Oh could I use the phone to call someone for a ride home?"

"Sure Priss." Shaelynn said as he pushed the phone over so she could use it and stepped out of the office to allow her some privacy. '_I bet it's that idiot that I stopped in the club the other night_.' Shaelynn thought. '_Why is he following her and what does he want to kill her for? This is getting stranger by the minute. What in the world have I gotten myself into? I bet the motorcycle is for Priss. Can't say as I blame Sylia for wanting Priss to have a motorcycle like that. The way that she rides hers I think that Priss really needs a new motorcycle._'

After Priss finished her phone call, she came out into the shop area. As she did so Shaelynn's hair on the back of his neck started to stand on end. It was a feeling that he had only one time before in his entire life. Looking around he saw Priss' older brother standing in the garage door.

"Um, Priss do you know him?" Shaelynn asked pointing to the guy in the door.

Priss just stood and stared in shock. "Y-yeah I know him. He is my older brother Akira."

"Your older brother? Are you afraid of him or something?" Shaelynn asked Priss noticing the look of shock on her face.

"Wouldn't you be if your older brother could always tell what you were thinking?" Priss asked in shock. "That's just not natural."

"I've heard of people like that. I believe they are called Espers or something like that." Shaelynn said. "Priss, what you may not realize is that there are parts of our minds that we don't even use. Whose to say that those Espers just had those parts of their brains activated when they were born."

"It's just not natural I tell you," Priss said.

"If you say so Priss." Shaelynn said ending that debate. '_I wonder what she'd do if she knew that I was an Esper?_'

Looking up again Shaelynn noticed that Akira had left. Sighing with relief, he went back to work on Priss's bike. It was really bad all the way through. The engine looked as if it had a very large crack that ran from the back to front. Overall the whole engine needed to be replaced.

"Nice place you got here." Priss said as she was looking around.

"Thanks. Uh, Priss, you realize that this repair job is going to be very expensive?" Shaelynn said.

"How much? And what is wrong with it?" Priss asked. She was not at all happy that it was going to cost her so much.

"Well Priss your engine has a very large crack in it. Plus you pistons and valves need to be replaced. Overall I'd say you need to get the whole engine replaced. Now the cost. It should run you about seventy-thousand yen."

"Seventy-thousand yen?" Priss exclaimed. "Why so much?"

"Well Priss I am the only one in town that will even touch your bike because it is so modified." Shaelynn said.

"Ok fine I'll pay it." Priss grumbled. "Hey what's under the tarp?"

"Don't touch it. It's a project I am working on." Shaelynn said coldly.

Deciding to look anyway, Priss gently lifts the edge of the tarp and sees the mangled remains of an electric blue and silver suit of armor. Shocked, Priss gently put the tarp down and turned around to leave. However, she bumped into Shaelynn who was standing behind her. He was not happy that she found his suit.

"I told you not to touch it." Shaelynn said icily. "Now promise me you will not tell anyone, not even your friends?" Shaelynn then asked her.

"Sure I won't tell." Priss said.

"Thanks Priss. Oh and by the way your ride's almost here." Shaelynn said cryptically. As she walked away he partially erased her memory of what she saw. He trusted her but only so much. Knowing what she does know, Shaelynn had no clue what she would do with that knowledge. On top of which there were things that Shaelynn did not want to deal with at the moment.

As soon as Priss's ride showed up she left and Shaelynn went back to working on Priss' bike. He needed the time alone to work on that motorcycle and on his as well. Shaelynn was not kidding himself when he started to work on his own motorcycle. There was damage that made what happened to Priss' look like a walk in the park.

"Well I figure that I will be working on my cycle for at least three to four months. If not longer." Shaelynn said with a sigh. "Priss' shouldn't be too hard. I should have it done by Thursday at the earliest. I better order the parts that I need for her bike and then order the parts for mine."

Getting up off of the ground, Shaelynn went to wash his hands and then to his office to make a few calls. He called his distributor to order the engine parts for Priss' motorcycle and then the parts to fix his. Afterwards, Shaelynn stretched back in his chair to take a much needed nap. He was exhausted from all of the day's work.

******

Sylia arrived home from her visit with Shaelynn and was very disturbed with what she saw.

"I had no idea that Shaelynn was an Esper." Sylia said as she poured herself some tea. "He also knows who I am. This is really bad. On top of this development I think that the person in the golden light was him as well. I think he may know that I am the leader of the KnightSabers. How he knows has really got me puzzled. I know that he is an Esper. But there is no way that he could be a Telepathic Esper. Most Telepathic Espers are driven insane by all of the mental voices that they hear on a daily basis. If he was, then that would explain how he knows so much about me. Something about his manner intrigues me. It is almost as if I am staring into a mirror when I talk to him. I hope that this is not the case with him. He really needs to fix that armor and we could use him on this next job that we have to do. Well I will call the others and see what they think."

A few minutes later all of the Knight Sabers were in Sylia's living room. Priss was in a mood most foul. Linna was gloating about something and Nene was being so happy it was getting on Priss' nerves.

"Ladies we have very dangerous job ahead of us and we need to ask for help on this one." Sylia said.

"Ask help from who Sylia?" Nene asked.

"The Blue Knight." Sylia said matter of factly.

"Sylia you can't be serious?" Priss spat back. She was not happy about hearing that Sylia wanted to ask help from someone that she would never want to have around. "He is a complete mystery and we can't trust him. Sylia, I think that you are mad."

"You trusted him enough to want to go riding with him the other night." Sylia said coolly.

"Shaelynn is the Blue Knight?" Priss asked in shock. He was the last person that she would expect to be an armored warrior. "There is no way that a mechanic like Shaelynn could be the Blue Knight." '_But that would explain the armor I thought I saw in his shop_.' Priss thought.

"But he is." Sylia said calmly. "Now ladies I need to know if we should ask him to help or not?"

"I guess so." Linna said. "Just as long as you tell him to stay out of our way."

"Yes we can use all of the help we can get." Nene said.

"Yeah Nene to make up for your short comings." Priss chided.

"Oh you're so mean," Nene said.

"Well that's two for asking him to help." Sylia said. "Priss what do you say?"

"I still say that Shaelynn ain't the Blue Knight." Priss said hotly. "But if he is, then I guess we should ask him for assistance. Now Sylia what do you think?"

"Well, he would be of great assistance to us." Sylia said.

"If that's what you want to do then we'll support your decision." Linna said in resignation.

"Ok then until tomorrow when we all get together, this meeting is over." Sylia said.

As the other Knight Sabers leave, Sylia decides to make an anonymous donation of money and materials to the custom shop.

'_Should I really be doing this_?' Sylia asks herself. '_If he betrays us I will be forced to kill him personally. I really hate to ask for his help, or help from anyone __for that matter. This new CyberDroid that Genom released will kill us if we are not careful_.'

Deciding her course of action, Sylia pick up her phone and switching it audio only, she dials the number to the custom shop.

"Shaelynn's custom shop, Shaelynn speaking." said the voice on the other end of the line.

"I need your assistance." Sylia said.

"Assistance for what?" Shaelynn asked suspiciously.

"I need your help for a job tomorrow night." Sylia said bluntly.

"I think you've gotten me mistaken for someone else." Shaelynn said nervously.

"No I don't. I know that you are the 'Blue Knight' and it would be appreciated if you would help us out." Sylia said exasperated. '_Hell if knew that he was gonna be that stubborn I would not of asked him in the first place_!'

"Just who am I talking to anyway?" Shaelynn asked as he fiddled with his terminal in his office trying to trace the call.

"Someone who requires your assistance." Sylia said.

"Well I would help, except that my suit has been damaged beyond my working standards." Shaelynn said. "Now if I had the money and the materials to repair it I would help."

"So what you are saying is that you will not help?" Sylia asked.

"I did not say any such thing!!" Shaelynn said. He was about to strangle the person on the other end of the phone for putting words in his mouth. That was his sister's favorite tactic to irritate him. "Now if I can let you go I have a delivery driver to talk to. However, if I can help where should I meet you at?"

"How about in front of Raven's garage tomorrow night?" Sylia said.

"Fine I'll see you then." Shaelynn said and then hung up.

After she got off the phone with him she sat back and sighed.

"How heartless, Yet we need his firepower." Sylia said. "Should I have really asked him to help?"

******

After Shaelynn got of the phone he went to get the delivery that had just came. He could not believe the nerve of the person on the phone. Already they had managed to get on his bad side and he had not even really worked with them yet. Only a certain few have managed to do what that person had accomplished in a twenty minute phone call. One of those being his sister Natasha. It was interesting that there was an order that came in for him today. He knew that the new engine for Priss' bike would not be in for another two days, and his stuff would not be in for at least three weeks. So what in the world was sent to him? It also bothered him that the person that called him was not one of the regular people that asked him to do jobs for them.

"Mr. Benton I have a large package here for you." The delivery driver said.

"But my order wasn't supposed to be here until Thursday." Shaelynn said scratching his head in confusion. "Well if that is for me then I don't see why I shouldn't take it. Who is it from?"

"Don't know." The driver said. "I just deliver them. It's in the back of the truck."

"Thanks." Shaelynn said as he went to the back of the truck to get the box. The box was rather large and tall. Looking at it Shaelynn decided to grab it and carry it in by himself. Grabbing box and applying just enough telekinetic force to keep the box balanced, Shaelynn carried the box in an sat it down.

"Ok how much do I owe you for the delivery?" Shaelynn asked after setting the box down.

"Two-thousand yen." The driver said in shock.

"Here you go and keep the change." Shaelynn said as he handed the driver three thousand five hundred yen.

"Thanks." The driver said and left.

"Now what in the world could be in this box?" Shaelynn asked himself as he opened it. Inside the box Shaelynn found materials to repair his suit and an envelope. The envelope was addressed to him. Opening the envelope he found close to seven hundred thousand yen and a note. The note was strange to say the least. It read:

To Shaelynn-

If you are reading this note the it is obvious that I know that you are the 'Blue Knight'. I want you to know that I will not even reveal to anyone that I know this, but I want something from you in return. I need your help. This is about a personal matter. I also know that you are and Esper, and maybe the only one that could understand what is going on with me. I am willing to give you the materials to rebuild your suit and the cash to do it. However, don't betray my faith in you. I hope to hear from you soon.

From,

A Friend

"Oh shit, now whoever this is that sent me this stuff also knows that I am an Esper too. Great just what I don't need." Shaelynn swore as he crumpled the note. "Alright let me think about this rationally. How many people know where I work and have seen me use my powers. Hmm, well there is Sylia and Priss that both know where I work. Whoever it was that picked up Priss also knows. I think that it was Linna that picked her up. Linna and Nene, I think have seen me use my powers at the club, to hold that bastard that was going to kill Priss back. Sylia I know has seen me use my powers. Hell, she caught me using them. It makes sense that she was the one that wrote that note. Question being is why did she send me the money and the materials to fix my suit in the first place? Is she the one that is backing those mercenaries? It would seem to make sense. Well it is almost closing time, so I will close early so I can fix my suit in private."

Closing the shop down for the night, Shaelynn 'grabbed' his suit, or more aptly what was left of it, from the corner of the shop and laid it on his work table. After making sure that the garage doors were shut and locked, he took the large box over to the table and began to disassemble his suit to replace the armor and the weapon systems that were damaged. Again he was not paying much attention since he was engrossed in his work. Shaelynn decided to sing while he worked. It helped him to focus and he always was in a good mood when he sang. Shaelynn started to sing the songs that he heard at the concert the other night. He was so busy that he did not even hear the sounds of footsteps that approached.

"Dear god I didn't think that my suit was this badly damaged." Shaelynn said as he took a drink of his soda. "Great, that means I will have to replace the whole musculature in the left side. Not to mention I have to replace the blades in the heel, the left microwave laser, and the left electro dagger and power plant."

Then it struck him, some one was in here besides him. Putting the tool down he 'reached' for the sword that he kept in his office.

"The shop is closed. Please come back tomorrow." Shaelynn said not turning around. He was not stupid enough to turn around when there was a possibility that who ever was behind him had a gun.

Not getting a response, Shaelynn turned around very slowly. When he looked he saw the same man that he stopped from killing Priss. He was also holding a gun.

"I will not allow you to come between us any longer." The man said as he pulled the trigger.

Shaelynn saw the gun flash then the pain that felt like he had just been hit with a pool cue in the chest. Shaelynn then dropped to the ground motionless. Then the man that shot him left. Waiting a while to make sure that he was gone, Shaelynn just laid there. As soon as he was sure that he left, Shaelynn got up slowly. The realization that someone actually shot him sank in all too quick and Shaelynn's head swam. Not with the agonizing pain of having a two inch piece of lead stuck in him, but with the shock of just being hurt.

"Ow shit, he didn't have to shoot me with such a large calibur bullet." Shaelynn said as he got up. "Good thing that I made this abodex mesh that I am wearing otherwise I'd be dead."

"That little shit thought that I was dating Priss?" Shaelynn said as he changed his work suit. "Wait a minute, that is the same little ass hole that tried to shoot her in the club just the other night. Just what in the hell is going on? If he shot me then whose to say that he will not go after Priss next! Not good at all. The question is what will I do about it?"

Locking the main door this time, Shaelynn continued to fix is suit and sing. He did not want anymore surprises. About 10:30 that evening there was a knock on the work shop door. From the inside it sounded more like a pounding. Not taking any chances this time he grabbed his sword from the office and cautiously opened the door. Outside he saw a man about eighteen. He had fresh bruises all over his face and arms. There were scratches and cuts that cris-crossed his arms, legs and face. He was in bad shape and from the way that he was breathing he must have walked a long distance to get here.

"Tell my sister that she is in danger." The man said as he collapsed inside Shaelynn's shop.

"Who are you?" Shaelynn asked.

"Mackie Stingray. Please, tell her that she is in danger." Mackie said.

"Rest and you can tell her yourself." Shaelynn said. '_Could this be her brother?_'

"No, there is no time. I am done for. The man known as The Hacker knows who my sister is and used me to get to her. He's an Esper." Mackie said then finally died.

"Oh shit better call the Police and tell them that I have a dead body here." Shaelynn said. "Now how to tell his sister that he is dead?"

When the Police arrived Shaelynn told them half truths about what happened. He told them that the deceased came in said something to him that he just could not remember and then he died. The detective called the coroner to take the body away. After they drew an outline where the body was, the detective told Shaelynn to take it easy in the shop for the next few days and stay out of that area.

As soon as the detective left, Shaelynn knew that he had to tell Mackie's sister. The only thing was he had no clue as to who his sister was. Eventually as he thought about it for a bit, he remembered that his last name was Stingray. After putting two and two together, he remembered that Sylia's younger brother was named Mackie. The only problem was how to find where she lived. He thought that he would have got her address when he accidently scanned her that morning. Un fortunately, he did not get it. Shaelynn had to go looking through the listings to find her address. However, there was no listing for Sylia. The only thing that he could find was a listing for a building that was near down town Tokyo. He got on his motorcycle and headed over to the building that he had the address for.

Parking out front, Shaelynn did not know if Sylia even lived in this building or not. He decided to break one of his own standing rules and scanned for her in the building. Luckily, Shaelynn found her in an upstairs apartment. Finding the entrance to the upstairs, Shaelynn walked up the stairs cautiously. He had no idea if she would believe him or not. For that matter he would not be surprised if she did not believe him. Some part of him wished that she did not. But another wished she did.

"Man I wish I knew how to tell her what just happened." Shaelynn said as he walked up the stairs. " For that matter do I want to tell her? I barely know her and I don't want her to think that I am doing this because I want to. I should tell her just to be nice. I could let the Police do it, but I know that they won't anytime soon. Besides they don't have sensitive bone in their bodies. I should know. Well I guess I will just give her the news and the warning that he told me to tell her."

When he got to the top of the stairs he heard voices behind the door. It was Sylia talking to some man. He did not recognize the voice, but by the manner in which he talked it sounded like he was close to her.

"Great, I picked the wrong time to show up to tell her the news." Shaelynn said in disgust. "I am outta here!!" Shaelynn then disappeared in a loud popping sound.

When he reappeared at his shop he continued to work on his suit well into the night. Finally at around 3:30 in the morning, Shaelynn finished his suit and went home to sleep.

The next morning he remembered that he left his motorcycle at Sylia's place, so he concentrated and found it then teleported it back to his house.

******

During Sylia's discussion with Fargo she heard a loud popping sound outside her door. Putting her conversation on hold for the minute she opened her door to see if someone was there. Finding no one, she went back to her discussion with Fargo. When she finished, Sylia was curious as to what had happened outside her door. Turning on the camera's playback feature she saw Shaelynn walking up the stairs.

"So it was Shaelynn that was here?" Sylia said to herself as she watched the replay. She could see that Shaelynn was going over something out loud. "Wait a minute he had something to tell me and now he disappeared? How did he do that?"

Checking the camera that was in the equipment bay she saw that no one was there.

"Hmm, now where did he disappear to?" Sylia said as she watched the bit of footage that showed Shaelynn disappearing from in front of her door. "Well I see that the mild mannered custom shop owner is a strong Esper indeed."

Reaching for the phone Sylia dialed the number that she had for Shaelynn's shop.

"Yes what can I do for you." Came a very sleepy voice from the other end.

"You came by earlier?" Sylia asked.

"And if I did?" The voice snapped.

"Shaelynn drop the attitude, you came by to tell me something." Sylia said.

"Fine Sylia," Shaelynn snarled. "Look, could I come by tomorrow? I am so tired."

"If that's what you want to do." Sylia said rather upset.

"Ok I'll see you tomorrow then." Shaelynn said as he hung up the phone.

After Sylia got off the phone, she decided that she could not wait for tomorrow to find out what it was that he had to tell her. However, before she could leave, sleep overcame her. Sylia drifted off in to a deep dreamless sleep.

******

The next morning after Shaelynn woke up and got his motorcycle back from Sylia's, he went over to her place to tell her the news of Mackie's death. While he was riding over there, he was trying to decide how to tell her the news. Shaelynn did not want to tell her. In fact he almost turned around and went home with out telling her at all. There was just something about having a relative die and some stranger tell you the news can be rather upsetting if not irritating. He had someone tell him that his parent were dead the evening that they were shot at the hospital that they were at. Shaelynn did not shed one tear or cry at all when the doctor told him the bad news. In fact all he did was nod once in acceptance and that was it. Since that day he never showed any emotions at all. After thinking about it for a while, Shaelynn decided to be very empathetic about telling her. He did not want to be totally frank with her as he is with everyone else that he deals with on a day to day basis. He realized that Mackie was her only living family and to be insensitive to her about this could really jeopardize his working relationship with her. That is if you want to call it a working relationship.

When he arrived at her building he found the stairs up to her apartment and walked up them to her door. He was still of the opinion that telling her was the worst thing that he could do. Shaelynn almost talked himself out of telling her yet again. He figured that he should show at least some compassion. Getting to the door he heard voices from her apartment. This time the voices were female. He was of the opinion to leave and never come back. Also, once again his timing was off.

'_Damn why do I always pick the worst times to show up_.' Shaelynn swore mentally. '_Aw screw it I am not leaving until I tell her what happened to her brother! I mean it is the least that I can do for her._'

Knocking loudly on the door, Shaelynn waited until the door was answered. When the door was opened, he saw Sylia in a black skirt and white top that did not cover much.[Author's note: the outfit that she was wearing in Episode six of Bubble Gum Crisis.] Shaelynn just stood and stared.

"Um Sylia, if I came at a bad time I can come back later." Shaelynn said obviously distracted.

"No you're fine." Sylia said. "Please come in." She then said as she turned around to let Shaelynn in.

'_Dear god what is that woman doing to me_?' Shaelynn thought as he walked in. '_I can't believe she'd wear something like that! No. I take that back I can believe that she would wear something like that. The outfit that I saw her in on Monday was proof enough_.'

"Look, honestly if I did come at a bad time I can come back later." he said as he looked at the other women in the room. The red head was laughing at his discomfort. That did not help matters that much. Her laughing made Shaelynn even more nervous than he was before. '_Thanks a lot Nene, make this harder than it already is. Geez thanks!_'

"No you are fine." Sylia said. "We were just talking."

'_You know Sylia, to lie to a Telepath is very demeaning. Especially when I know what you are really thinking._' Shaelynn thought coldly as he walked in.

He recognized Priss and Sylia, of course. The other two he met at the Hot Legs two nights ago. Priss was surprised to see Shaelynn, but she did not show it. Linna and Nene both blushed a deep crimson when they looked at him. They remembered their antics in the club and were embarrassed. Shaelynn looked at them and just smiled knowingly.

"Are you sure? Because I can come back some other time." Shaelynn said as he was turning around to walk out of the door.

"No you are fine." Sylia said. "If we can go to another room so you can tell me what it was you wanted last night you can get that off your mind."

"Am I that transparent?" Shaelynn asked wondering if he was really that obvious.

"Sylia, listen if he has something to say to you then he can say it in front of all of us." Priss said.

"Are you paranoid that you don't even trust me to tell her something personal?" Shaelynn asked with a steely edge to it. "Or are your secrets so well hidden that you are afraid that I would find them out?"

"You are right Priss." Sylia said. "If what you have to say is important then you can say it in front of everyone here."

"Fine then Sylia." Shaelynn said. He was not happy about doing this. In particularly telling her in front of three of her friends. However, he had to do it or he would never come back. "But I suggest that you sit down for what I am about to say."

"Why? Is what you have to tell me that bad?" Sylia asked as she was sitting down.

"Yes, it is." Shaelynn answered bluntly. "Sylia, last night about 10:30 I was working late and a kid no older than my younger brother came in to my shop. It was ironic though his last words were 'tell my sister that she is in danger.' I had no clue as to what he said until he said his name."

"Which was?" Sylia asked.

"Mackie Stingray." Shaelynn said.

"Mackie?" Sylia asked. "How is he?"

"That is the sad part. He looked as if someone had beat him. I wasn't the person that did it." Shaelynn said as he paced behind the other three. He was fighting himself to not tell her bluntly. For the moment it was working. He could see that the others that were in her apartment were also curious about what he had to say next. It made Shaelynn wonder how well they knew him. Also what were their connections to the Knight Sabers.

"Is he still alive?" Sylia asked. "What hospital is he at?"

"Sylia, there is no easy way to say this." Shaelynn began as he stopped next to Sylia. "But Mackie died a few minutes after he came to my shop. I am truly sorry to be the one that had to tell you."

'_Oh lovely tell her bluntly that he died. Nice one ace!_' Shaelynn swore mentally. '_What next? Shoot her with a BFG_?!'

"Was that what you had to tell me last night?" Sylia asked.

All Shaelynn did was nod once and then just stood in his place motionless.

As Shaelynn looked at the four women in the room, he tried to pick up on their emotions. Linna was visibly upset, Nene was about to start crying, Priss looked as if she did not even care, that was just a front and Shaelynn knew it. Then there was Sylia. Her outward expression was her usual emotionless one. However, Shaelynn knew or at least had an idea that on the inside she was crying. He was like that himself when he watched the boomers kill his parents right in front of him when he was seventeen. No one knew that he was grieving for them until he got home from the funeral. Even then all that anyone knew was that Shaelynn said he was sad to know that they were murdered. Shaelynn always held in what he was feeling. He was not an open person at all. He never had been. Now he never saw the reason to be. It was evident as he told Sylia the news of her brother's death.

"Priss, Linna, Nene, could you leave us for about an hour?" Sylia asked.

"Sylia is that wise?" Linna asked very nervously.

The expression on Shaelynn's face was one of ice. Inside however, he was terrified. The only part of him that betrayed how he actually felt was his eyes. '_Sylia why do you want to be alone with me? Idiot, you know why! She wants to find out more about what happened to him._'

"I'll be fine." Sylia said. "Besides you need to check on the delivery that is coming in tonight."

"Delivery?" Nene asked quizzically.

"You know the delivery?" Priss said as she dragged Nene out.

"Interesting friends you have." Shaelynn commented as he watched Priss drag Nene out by the shirt collar.

"They are good friends." Sylia said.

"Yes, and they are very nosey." Shaelynn said as he went over to the door. When he opened it Priss, Linna, and Nene all fell in the room in a heap. "See what I mean?"

"Um how did you know that we were still here?" Linna asked.

"It was too quiet in the hall, and besides I didn't live in a house with older sibling to not know a few tricks." Shaelynn said flatly. "Aren't I allowed to keep a few secrets? I mean you have yours and I have mine." he then said cryptically.

'_Yep he is definitely an Esper_.' Sylia thought. '_I can't believe that Shaelynn is an Esper. I only wish that he would help me with my nightmares. But would he understand them? For that matter would he want to help me?_'

"Sylia did you say something?" Shaelynn asked her as he turned around.

"No I didn't." Sylia said without her usual tone to the response.

'_Damn, there I go answering to people's thoughts. If only I wasn't so sensitive this wouldn't have happened._' Shaelynn thought acidly.

"Would you three leave?" Shaelynn asked as he scooted them out the door.

As soon as he heard them walk down the stairs, Shaelynn went back to Sylia and continued to talk to her. He knew that she needed to have a friend that she could talk to. However, Shaelynn did not really consider her a friend. More like an associate that he would forget about when he was finished with her tasks. Yet it bothered him that she asked her three closest friends to leave. Did she know more about him that she was letting on? Shaelynn was cautious enough to be on guard in case anything was tried. Of course he had a feeling that she would not do anything. Why in world would she in the first place? He figured that in her mind he meant nothing to her. Which was exactly what he wanted. Sitting down on the couch across from her, Shaelynn waited for her to either ask him something or want an explanation of what happened last night. This was going to take too much out of him emotionally. He felt obligated to do this, but he still had to ask himself why though.

"Why didn't you. . ." Sylia started but could not finish because she started to cry really hard.

Seeing this outburst of emotions was enough to make Shaelynn stop and wonder about her. This was the first time in all of the years that he knew her to ever see her cry. For that matter this was the first time that she had ever shown any emotions at all. Something inside him seemed to say 'hey stupid are you going to sit there and let her cry?' Shaelynn was afraid to even move because of the fact that he knew that if he was to touch her he would end up getting another deep reading on her and that was what scared him the most. He could just sit there and do nothing, yet he was too empathic to allow her to cry without doing something about it.

Deciding to risk it, Shaelynn got up from the couch that he was sitting on and sat down beside her. He had to do something for her and what he did next surprised even himself. He then took her into a tight embrace and had no idea of how to comfort her. Certain emotions were sort of foreign to him. Grief was one of them. He had not had any reason to feel grief because all of those people that he cared for was still alive. He was expecting to either be kneed in the groin or have a nerve pinched in his arm to get him to let go. That seemed to be the usual response to his kindness. He got neither which just shocked him.

"Sylia, I . . . er . . .I am really sorry but I tried to tell you last night, but you were busy and I didn't want to disturb you." Shaelynn finally said when his tongue finally worked. '_Damn I just screwed that one up real good._'

"Who-who did that to him?" Sylia asked through the tears.

"Well some one called The Hacker." Shaelynn said. "Oh yeah Mackie's last words were 'The man known as The Hacker knows who my sister is and used me to get to her. He's an Esper.' I honestly don't what had happened to him, but I won't let what happened to him happen to you."

"How can you protect me? You aren't anything special." Sylia said as she looked at Shaelynn. Her tear-streaked face made Shaelynn's heart ache. This was the only thing that would set him on edge. In fact Shaelynn was shocked to see this type of emotion from her.

"Maybe I am more than I appear." Shaelynn said with one of his lopsided smiles.

"Would you please let me go." Sylia said politely.

"Sure." Shaelynn said, then let go of her as if he had just been shocked by a live electric wire. "Sorry about that. I had no right to do that."

"It's alright." Sylia said as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Um Sylia, at the risk of being rude, but could you please not touch me." Shaelynn said with a look of terror in his eyes.

"Is there a reason why I should not?" Sylia asked as she removed her hand from his shoulder.

"I can't say right now." Shaelynn said. "But I will tell you eventually."

"Ok If that's what you want." Sylia said obviously hurt. '_What is he hiding from me? If it is about him being and Esper I already know that, but I'll let him tell me himself. Maybe he is a Telepathic Esper after all. He will have to trust me in time._'

"Well I really need to get home." Shaelynn said as he got up. "Once again you have my condolences." Getting no response from her he let himself out and left.

Alone, Sylia began to cry until she was exhausted and fell into a sleep.

******

Priss, Linna, and Nene were all together in the Piss coffee shop talking. They had asked for a table in the back away from everyone. Fortunately, there were hardly any customers.

"Man I don't know who that Shaelynn thinks he is barging in like that." Nene said half fuming and half in tears.

"Nene, calm down." Priss said. "I know Shaelynn and I don't think he is the type that is going to try anything with Sylia. Didn't you see the fear in his eyes when she asked us to leave? I think that he was scared to be left alone with her."

"That's true. Although I do not understand why he would be scared." Linna said in agreement. "But our big problem is this job that we have to do tonight. Sylia wants to have the 'Blue Knight' help and to be quite honest I don't trust him to not betray us to Genom."

"Still even if we do trust him how do we know that once we finish the job that he won't attack us afterwards? Besides with what just happened, will we even be able to concentrate?" Nene asked.

"If that happens then Sylia will kill him." Priss said very matter of factly. '_Besides he is kinda cute_' Priss thought.

"Let's hope that it doesn't come to that though." Linna said. "I just can't get over the fact that Mackie's dead."

"I know." Nene said as she was just about to cry.

"Sylia must be in shock." Linna said as she placed an arm around Nene. "He was her only family that was alive. Still I can't help but wonder if Shaelynn wasn't the one that killed him."

"Shaelynn is harmless." Priss said. "He wouldn't hurt anyone!"

"Priss, why are you defending him?" Linna asked. "Is it because you like him?"

"Yeah Priss," Nene added in. "Do you like him or something?"

"No it is not that." Priss yelled. "It's just that regardless even if he is this 'Blue Knight' person he deserves our respect. I mean even I am not insane enough to try to tackle six 55-C boomers by myself."

"Still the way you are defending him it sounds like that you are in love with him." Linna said. "Something about him bothers me."

"What is it?" Nene asked.

"Well he acts as if he is working for someone. I also think that he is hiding something as well." Linna said.

"You are right about that though, he is hiding something." Nene said. "I want to find out what it is. Maybe he is a spy working for Genom."

"Hmf, look I just don't like the way you are saying that he could be a traitor." Priss snarled back. "But still, I do admit one thing whoever he is dating has a good catch in him."

"How so?" Nene asked.

"Well, he has a stable income, plus he has his looks, and well he is compassionate." Priss said as she thought about him. "Still I wonder who he is seeing?"

Nene and Linna just stared at Priss with their jaws hanging wide open. They couldn't believe what they just heard from Priss. It sounded as if she had fallen in love with him. Priss was not known to share her feelings, but in this instance as she talked about Shaelynn, she looked as if she was in love.

"What?" Priss asked as she looked at her two friends.

"So you do like him after all?" Nene said after regaining her composure.

"No Nene I am just saying that who ever latched hold of him is one lucky woman." Priss said with a sniff. "Besides, he seems to be more of Sylia's type anyway. I saw the smile he gave you two. You were acting crazy at the club the night before last weren't you?"

"Nene was drunk." Linna said.

"I was not drunk!" Nene shouted. The few patrons that were in the café looked at Nene and started whispering among themselves.

"Anyway about this job that we are doing." Priss started. "I don't really think that one extra person can make the difference against the odds that we will be facing."

"We have got to try no matter what the odds!" Nene said. "It is after all just one boomer."

"Just one boomer that is capable of holding off an entire squad of AD Police." Linna snapped back. "Plus I don't like the fact that it is just one boomer. Something about it isn't right."

"Like that's hard." Priss commented. "Like I said what is one person going to do that will even the odds with that boomer? What doesn't seem right about it just being one boomer? I mean it took all of us to destroy Mason's Super Boomer back in '32. So what is up Linna?"

"I don't know how to explain it but I just have this feeling that we aren't coming back from this job alive. Besides from what Sylia said Shaelynn's suit packs some pretty impressive fire power." Linna said. I just hope that we don't have to take him down as well."

"Look, Sylia said he can be trusted and if she says so then we should trust him until proven otherwise." Priss said. "Now we should be getting back to Sylia's place the hour or so is up and I want to talk to her some more about this job."

Finishing their coffee, the three women leave and head back to Sylia's place.

******

Shaelynn was at a loss at what to do now. Part of him was in a twisted mess after he had talked to Sylia. That encounter left him with a sick feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. Why in the world did what he saw make no sense to him at all? The other part of him wanted to put that out of his mind and deal with the present. The present was dealing with a boomer that was out and about. He had promised to help the person that called him if he got his suit repaired. He finished his suit that morning at 3:30 am. It still bothered him that this person who ever it was wanted him to help with only a single Boomer.

'_Must be that dangerous if they are asking for help_,' Shaelynn thought.

More pieces of the puzzle were not fitting the way that he wanted them to. Some new person entered into the chaos that was Tokyo. A person that was only known as "The Hacker." Who in the world was he? And for that matter why did he kidnap Sylia's brother? What was he up to and why?

However, he could not really think about that. He had a job to do and needed to get to that soon. His only thoughts were why he was doing this in the first place.

"Well, I did promise to help and I always keep my promises." Shaelynn said in resignation. He really did not want to put that suit on again. The last time he put it on was a month ago and then he nearly died. He knew that all of the people that he worked for knew him as the "Blue Knight" and that was the image that he wanted to maintain. Yet he did not want to put it on since the last time he did he was unable to save three children from being killed. The faces of the grieving parents still haunted him. It was only the fact that he had his work to hide behind that allowed him to forget about them. Sadly, he could never forget the faces for long. That was his curse of perfect recall that did that too him. Of course if he did forget them, then what was he really fighting for in the first place? It surely was not the reasons that Sylia was fighting. Her reasons were purely revenge. That in itself was not enough for Shaelynn. He believed that revenge was a hollow goal that leave a bigger hole in a person than the one that caused them to seek revenge in the first place. His motivations were to prevent more families from losing their children to Genom's "mistakes."

Looking at the clock in his shop, he saw that it was time to meet them where they agreed upon. Locking the front doors to his shop, Shaelynn unzipped his Navy blue coveralls and stepped out of them. Folding them up neatly and setting them on the work table, Shaelynn pulled of the Abodex mesh that he wore under his clothes.

He was left in a skin tight navy-blue and black body suit. Reaching down to the base of his neck, Shaelynn pulled the last piece of it up his neck. He hated how the thing fit. It was tight in places that he wished were not tight. But he knew that it was something that he had to have in order to use his suit. Keying the boarding sequence on his suit Shaelynn walked over to the suit and stepped into it. Shaelynn never got over how fast and how tight the auto fittings were. The fitting started from his legs and worked up. After about two minutes, his suit was completely attached to him and the body suit.

"Man I will never get used to this tight fitting suit, but hell I did say I would help!" Shaelynn said as he grabbed the helmet of his suit. "I must be stupid to put this thing on again."

Putting the helmet on, Shaelynn opened the front door of the shop. As he stepped out of the door Shaelynn got another of his feelings again. This time it was a feeling of dread. This time Shaelynn nearly felt sick to his stomach, because it was so overpowering. Stopping outside of the shop, Shaelynn tried to focus on that feeling. What he got was a hazy picture of someone in danger in their own home. It ended in that person's death. Shaking it off Shaelynn, needed to get going. If he had the time after the job then he would try to look into what was causing this feeling. Shaelynn could only hope that it was his paranoia getting the better of him.

Looking around to see if anyone was watching, Shaelynn was worried that someone would find out about his other job. Oh the price of having a double life and he knew it. Shaelynn knew what could happen if someone did find out about his activities as an armored mercenary. They could and more than likely would make life real hard for him.

Since there was no one was watching, he ignited the flight jets in the lower back of his suit and streaked off through the night sky. It was always a rush when Shaelynn took flight in his suit. He enjoyed this as much as when he would tear through the streets of Tokyo. Finding the location of Raven's Garage, Shaelynn headed off in that direction. It puzzled him as to why in the world that the person that wanted him to help would want to meet at that place specifically. More to the point, what role did it play in the operations of the KnightSabers if anything. He remembered hearing about a girl that was on the trail of the KnightSabers. Some how she managed to find out absolutely nothing about them. Or did she really find nothing about them? The puzzling thing about it was somehow Raven's garage had a factor in it. The only question was what.

******

The Knight Sabers were all waiting for the final member of their team to show up. Each one had their own ways of passing the time away. It was a fore gone conclusion that none of them had ever met the "Blue Knight" before. None of them knew if he was really a he or a she. For all they knew their team leader could have been lying about who he was. Yet each of them knew that Sylia was not the type to lie to them. Or was she? Something that she had said right before they came to the meeting place had made Nene wonder about what was going on in Sylia's mind. Priss was not at all happy to be waiting for someone that she thought would never show up. Sylia was also not that happy either. She had placed her trust in this person to keep his word and arrive at the right time as well as keep his word. Now it seemed that he has done neither.

"Sylia, I don't think that he is coming." Priss said upsetly.

"Give him time." Sylia said. "He will be here."

"Let's hope so for all of our sakes." Linna said with a hiss.

As Sylia was about to say something in response, Linna saw a figure in electric blue and silver armor land behind Sylia and take off his helmet.

"Uh-uh Sylia you might want to look behind you?" Linna said over their suit's internal communications system.

Slowly turning around, Sylia looked at the figure that stood there. Not even hinting that she knew the truth she just looked at him.

"Oh I get it you decided to use the "Blue Knight's armor to trick us." Sylia said coldly.

"Let's get inside and I will tell you why I did what I did." Shaelynn said. '_What the hell? It was the Knight Saber that wanted my help? That is it! Why in the world should I help them? Oh yeah, I did promise to help out. I am going to have to erase their memories after this job of who I am. I can't have any of them knowing who I really am. If they do then I would not be safe at all._'

"Ok we will." Sylia said as she lead everyone inside Raven's Garage. None of the others took off their helmets due to the fact that they did not trust him.

"Alright, First: I will admit to you all that I am the "Blue Knight" Secondly: the only reason that I even told you this is because I trust you enough. Just don't make me regret trusting you. Third: Just what in the hell do you need me to do again?" Shaelynn said at length. "And for that matter why?"

"Well to answer you questions. We need you and your special talents to help us deal with a particularly difficult Boomer that Genom has let loose on the city." Sylia said.

"That's it?" Shaelynn asked skeptically. "All you want me to do is help you take down a single fricken boomer? If it just a single boomer then what do you need me for? You four have the fire power to handle one boomer. I have better things to do with my time then hunt down a single boomer. Besides I work better alone. Less hassles that way!"

"Put you helmet back on so I can talk to you privately." Sylia said.

Putting it back on, Shaelynn waited.

"This boomer has enough power to destroy one-third of Tokyo. Do you want the rest of your family to die as well?"

"How do you know about my family?"

"The same way that I know that you were the 'Blue Knight'."

'_Looks like I will have to erase her memory of that. But I don't want to do that.'_

"I will help on this job only because I don't want to see my family killed."

"Thank you for the help."

Just as they were about to leave a small black pig wearing a tiger-striped bandana wonders into the garage. The little pig just stops and looks around wide-eyed. Reaching down, Shaelynn picks up the pig by the bandanna and looked at it.

"Man I wonder who let their pet pig lose to roam the streets." Shaelynn said as he carried the pig outside.

Afterwards the pig just wandered off. Shaelynn and the rest of the KnightSabers then boarded the Knightwing and headed off to find the rampaging boomer.

******

From a back room in an old abandoned lab a man is listening to a tape of an interrogation.

". . . So then what you are saying is that your sister is the Leader of the KnightSabers?"

"Yes, I have said that five times already."

"There is no need to back talk me like that."

"Arch.!! Enough with the pain already. What else do you want from me?"

"All in good time. All in good time" click

"Hmf, and now my little stool pigeon is dead. Pity that he had to tell that shop owner who I am." The man said. "Well it looks like he will have to die as well."

Getting up from the table he walked over to the terminal and dials a number. A shadowy figure is on the other end.

"Well?" The man on the phone said.

"Mr Dumas, We seemed to have developed a problem. There is this shop owner who just might know of our plans to kill off the KnightSabers." The other man said.

"Well you are known as The Hacker, so you do something about it on your end. Or do you want us to come and deal with him ourselves? _ Because, if we do have to come and kill him then you __die as well_."

"I will try, Mr. Dumas. I will try." The Hacker said nervously as he hung up the phone.

Looking around he saw that his cat was eager to get out. The cat was huge and tan with brown spots and orange eyes.

"What's wrong Jingoro? You need out to go to the bathroom?" The Hacker said as he walked over to his cat.

"Meow!!!!" Jingoro said.

"Ok I'll let you out." The Hacker said.

Letting the cat out for the night, The Hacker went to plot his move to get rid of the shop owner. He decided to use the boomer that was currently on a rampage through downtown Tokyo. The Boomer was advanced enough to allow him to use his special talents to take it over.

******

En route to the site where the boomer was last spotted, the one in the pink suit decides to start up a conversation with Shaelynn.

"So where did you get the suit?" The pink Saber asked.

"Not to sound rude, but where I got my suit is my business!!" Shaelynn said with a snort.

"Hey we were just trying to be friendly." the green Saber said.

"Look, where I got it is none of your business." Shaelynn said.

'_Can I trust them? I guess I have no other choice. If they even betray me I know where they live and can find them._'

"Alright I will tell you how I got my suit, but I must have all of you swear on your honor that you will not tell anyone how I got it." Shaelynn said.

"We swear." came the response from the other three.

"What about you Saber Prime?" Shaelynn asked Sylia. "Do you swear on your honor to not tell anyone?"

"Yes I swear." Sylia said.

"Thank you. Now all of you listen up. I received a package in the mail on my 18th birthday. That package was a mysterious data unit that had the technical specs of my suit on it." Shaelynn said. "Why that was sent to me or who it was from has always remained a mystery to me."

"So you have been the Blue Knight since your eighteenth birthday?" The one in pink asked.

"No I wasn't." Shaelynn said. "Hey Saber Prime any comments from you?" Shaelynn then asked.

"No I have none." Sylia said. '_There was a second Data unit? Why did my Father send it to him of all people. Well at least it is now in good hands. But still the question remains why him?_'

"Alright we are about ready to land, so here is how we will split up." Sylia said. "Saber Blue and Green you will go with the Blue Knight. Saber Pink and I will be the other team."

"Sure thing Saber Prime." The Green Saber said.

As soon as Sylia set the Knight Wing down the Knight Sabers and Shaelynn split up to tackle the Boomer.

******

The AD Police units that were sent to deal with the Boomer were pinned down by laser fire from the Boomer. Leon was tempted to grab a K-17 battle suit and try to tackle it himself. But once again the chief had forbidden the use of heavy equipment.

"Damn this boomer is causing such a mess!" Leon swore. "Where the hell are the armored troops?"

"Calm down Leon." his partner Daley Wong said. "The new chief will not let us use the armored troops. You know that."

"I know, I just wish the Knight Sabers would show up and deal with this thing."

"Well Leon, looks like you might just get your wish." Daley said as he pointed to the roof top.

"It is about time now that all five . . . wait a minute there are five now?" Leon said in shock as he looked up at the roof top. What he saw was five people in armor. Four he recognized, but the new one was very unfamiliar to him. The armor was Electric Blue and Silver. The wearer was obviously male, because the suit was flat in the front. This suit didn't wait for the others. It just leapt off the roof and started to attack the boomer head on.

"Well that one must be a rookie." Leon said with a chuckle. "Their leader is more than likely going to scold him for jumping the gun like that."

"Kinda like you eh Leon?" Daley said.

"Er." Leon said. "Yet I always thought that the KnightSabers were a female only group?"

"Hold on Leon, I know where I have seen that suit before." Daley said.

"You have? Where?" Leon asked as he put on his sunglasses.

"It was about a month ago when Genom supposedly lost a shipment of 55-C boomers. That suit managed to destroy five of the six that were going berserk near the COM-TECH building. I wonder if that suit has anything to do with the Security force that is supposed to be employed by that company?" Daley said at length.

"Right. So this suit was around a month ago?" Leon asked with a snort.

"Yeah the section chief has dubbed him 'The Blue Knight' and well the public seems to hail him as a hero." Daley said. "He first showed up when you were on exchange with a police officer from the Kobe area. That poor guy wanted to shoot him the first time the 'Knight' was out."

"Great, well at least nothing bad happened." Leon said. "If there was, then the public would have one more reason to hate the AD Police."

"Good point." Daley said.

******

Sylia wanted to kill Shaelynn right then. He decided to jump the gun and tackle the boomer head on. Was he trying to get himself killed? In her opinion that was what he was attempting. None of the others had even dared to try something like that before. She could possibly see Priss do something like that, but she has never done that, or for that matter tried. Apparently the attack on that boomer provided the distraction that was needed to allow the innocents to get away. His attack planted his heel blades in the shoulders of the boomer. Sylia was half convinced that Shaelynn would more of a hindrance than a help. It was his tendency to act on his instincts that made her so mad. However, she could not help but admire the way that Shaelynn would cover both Priss and Linna's back while they made an attack on the boomer. As she looked over to see if Nene was doing alright, she heard a strangled scream coming from Linna. Turning around, she saw that Linna was grabbed in a vice grip bye the boomer and was slowly being electrocuted. Deciding that Nene was holding her own, Sylia needed to get to Linna and fast. She was in a bad spot but she saw that Priss was closer. Maybe, just maybe Priss could save her. Well she could only hope.

"Priss, try to help her." Sylia said on their communications frequency.

"Sylia, I am trying but I can't get to her. That boomer just decided to split into three copies of himself." Priss said.

"Damn, I didn't know that the boomer could do that." Sylia said. "Well I will try to save her myself."

As Sylia moved to try to save Linna, she saw a blur of movement and then Linna was no longer being crushed. Looking to see who rescued Linna, she saw that it was Shaelynn that had rescued her. It appeared that Linna was not moving, but she was alive barely.

"Linna are you ok?" Sylia asked over the radio to her.

"Uh . . ." was all the response that she got.

"Damn Boomer." Shaelynn bellowed as he laid Linna down. "I will make you pay for hurting my friend."

The laser lenses on his shoulders popped up and started to glow. Deciding to cause less damage, Shaelynn took to the air and floated over them. When the lenses were at full charge, Shaelynn let lose two beams of energy at the three boomers. When they impacted on them it looked as if it did absolutely nothing to them.

Landing next to Sylia, Shaelynn was getting really angry. The ground and debris around him were starting to show the signs of his anger getting the better of him. Shaelynn knew that he had better calm down and soon. Other wise he knew that he could accidently hurt someone with a stray burst of telekinetic strength. That was something that even Shaelynn could not forgive himself for.

"What the hell does it take to kill these bastards?" Shaelynn growled. His anger was starting to get the better of him. He had to calm himself or he knew what the consequences would be if he did not.

"I wish that I knew." Sylia said. "Saber Pink, Get Saber Green back to the Knightwing and fast. Stay with her and make sure that she won't get any worse."

Glancing at Linna, Shaelynn was hit with a feeling that she would live and was not in any danger. At least he knew that she would not die on them. Shaelynn knew that was not what they needed right now.

"Saber Prime, Saber Green will be alright and I think we will need Saber Pink's help as well." Shaelynn said cryptically.

"Ok, if you think she will be fine." Sylia said.

"Saber Blue, let's see if we can injure these bastards!" Shaelynn said to Priss.

"You are talking my language, Knight." Priss said and took off for one of the boomers.

"Saber Prime can you cover us while we try to damage one?" Shaelynn asked.

"I'll do better than that, I am helping you two." Sylia said and took to the air.

"That is understood." Shaelynn said as he charged the boomer that Priss was currently trying to damage. He prayed that this would do something to them.

In mid-run Shaelynn deployed his two electro-daggers and waited until he was in range of it to hit. As soon as he got to within one hundred feet of it, Shaelynn threw his daggers at it and one impacted in the boomer's face and the other in the mid torso. Praying that what he was about to do would work, Shaelynn, redirected the power from his microwave lasers into the generators that provided that power for the daggers. The electric current that was pumped into the boomer was enough to fry a 55-C boomer easily but this one seemed to not be as affected by it as much. In fact the boomer had managed to shrug off the effects of the damage.

'_Shit I knew I should have added my contact point bombs instead of the daggers for this mission._' Shaelynn swore mentally. '_Something is not right here! This smells of a trap._'

Retracting his daggers, Shaelynn rerouted the power back to their normal levels and decided to try a different tactic. As he looked to see how Priss and Sylia were doing, he saw that Sylia was having a hard time with one of the split off boomers.

"Saber Blue, Let's double team him." Shaelynn said over the radio to Priss.

"I was just going to suggest the same thing as well." Priss said with a bit of surprise in her voice.

About this time Nene had returned from the Knightwing with four humanoid robots in tow.

"Sylia, I figured that we might be needing these so I brought them." Nene said over the internal radio.

"I see, good thinking but we only need three. Unless the Blue Knight is a quick learner on how to use a MotorSlave." Sylia said as she linked up with her MotorSlave.

Priss turned around and saw that Nene had brought in the heavy artillery. She immediately ran for her MotorSlave and did not realize that there was a Boomer that was wanting to make sure that she never saw tomorrow. Shaelynn saw that Priss was about to get shot in the back and opened up with the twin blade cannons that were a main source of his arsenal. The boomer then turned and started to advance on Shaelynn. It totally forgot about Priss. The distraction was enough to allow Priss to get to her MotorSlave and link up with it.

"Hey Knight if you want some extra protection and a better shot at destroying one then use the other MotorSlave." Priss said to Shaelynn as she shot at the boomer to get its attention.

"I have never used one before so it would be more of a hindrance to me." Shaelynn said. "But I will try to use it."

As soon as Shaelynn linked up with the remaining MotorSlave, the tide of the battle changed in the favor of the KnightSabers and Shaelynn. Two of the three Boomers were totally destroyed. The third was almost destroyed. Shaelynn separated from his MotorSlave to finish it off personally when the boomer shot him right in the center torso. Shaelynn went down in a crumpled heap. Sylia, in an act that was totally unlike what she would ever do, completely destroyed the boomer and then emptied the batteries in her palm blasters into the boomer. Priss was in shock to see this display. She had never seen Sylia act this way before in her entire life. As soon as the batteries were emptied, Sylia walked over to where Shaelynn lay and checked for any signs of life.

Shaelynn just laid there and was in shock that he let his emotions get the better of him. Once again his common sense took a walk on him. Looking over at Sylia he could tell that she was concerned about him. Slowly getting up, Shaelynn was not very happy.

"Are you alright?" Priss and Sylia asked.

"Well I am alive if that counts for much." Shaelynn said as he walked around. He was mentally kicking himself for doing something that stupid.

"Let's vacate now." Sylia said as they all went back to the Knightwing.

When they got back to where they were to drop off Shaelynn, Sylia detained him for a few minutes.

"Just what in the hell did you think that you were doing?" Sylia yelled at Shaelynn. "You could have got yourself killed with that suicide attack. Plus everyone else as well. I am surprised that you did not get killed. I should have you executed for that."

"Saber Prime I am not a part of your group and have no intentions of joining either." Shaelynn growled and flexed his right hand. "Now if you want to try to enforce that execution, you are more than welcome to try. Though I would not even suggest it. I do suggest however, that you take care of your injured member."

"What was that supposed to be a threat?" Priss asked.

"No, a promise. If I wasn't there to help, then Saber Green would be dead now. Not to mention you ladies would be out one member and possibly the rest of you would be dead right now. Now correct me if I am wrong, but that smelled like a set up if I ever saw one." Shaelynn said.

"What do you mean a set up," Sylia asked.

"Well if you noticed that the Boomer part that grabbed Saber Green was immune to my Electro Daggers. Now if I am not mistaken is that Saber Green's primary weapon?" Shaelynn asked.

"In addition to her mono-molecular ribbons, yes." Sylia said. "What are you getting at?"

"Simply put this. That Boomer was specifically designed to counter all of your attacks and in addition to that, kill all of you. Apparently they never expected me to help out on this one." Shaelynn said at length.

"Oh and Saber Blue. Be careful when you go home from here. There are forces that would like to see you dead. I would suggest you be careful" Shaelynn then said cryptically then left.

"I really don't like his attitude Sylia." Nene said as she was removing her helmet. "Do you really think that he could have taken all of us?"

"With that suit of his I don't doubt it." Sylia said as she was taking her suit off. "We need to tend to Linna and she how she is doing."

While they were tending to Linna, Sylia began to ponder over what the 'Blue Knight' had said. It was obvious that he knew what was up and she did not. It bothered her that there was someone that knew more than she did about this job that they finished. She would have to ask him where he got his information from.

It was easy to get Linna out of her suit. Sylia had programmed in a special addition that if by any chance the wearer was unable to get out on their own it would immediately blow off of them. In Linna's case it just fell off of her when Sylia removed Linna's helmet. Physically checking Linna over for any wounds, Sylia found that Linna had several broken ribs and some cracked ribs as well.

"Well it could have been worse." Sylia said as she finally got out of her own suit.

"How much worse?" Priss asked Sylia. She could not believe that it could be any worse that it already was.

"I think what the Blue Knight said was true. We would all be dead right now." Sylia said with a sigh. "Funny thing though, I tend to agree with him in that regards. We would have been killed and then who would keep an eye on Genom?"

"Sylia you actually believe him," Nene asked in shock.

"Not entirely," Sylia said and did not go into any kind of explanation as to why she said what she did.

******

At the AD Police Headquarters, Leon was busy filling out all of the reports on the incident that happened. He could not figure out why the Knight Sabers would have added a fifth member. Then the mystery of the "Blue Knight" showed up as well. To top it off the fifth member that they added was the "Blue Knight." Daily had told him that the "Blue Knight" was around for only a month. However, reports from the private sector were coming in to the department since 2028 about a person in a suit of powered armor. It did not match anything that the military had or was producing. Although, Leon was of the opinion that the military was denying even that. Genom denied any connection to the suit. That was par for the course when it came to dealing with them. They would deny that they were even human if they were given the chance

"Something about this whole set up makes no sense!" Leon exclaimed as he finished the reports.

"What doesn't make sense?" A voice asked.

Looking up, Leon saw that the person that asked the question was Gwen Patterson. Leon knew that she was one of the front line troops that went out the night before and could not do much since she was frightened.

"Well Gwen, it is this information about the 'Blue Knight' that dose not make any sense," Leon said.

"I see," Gwen said. "Well I know for a fact that he or she was around since 2028."

"How did you come by that information?" Leon asked.

"I used to be a part of an anti-vigilante squad in the states," Gwen said. 'Besides that what harm has he done?"

"Well Genom reported that the same person broke into one of their facilities last year and destroyed several of their projects and killed several people as well," Leon said.

"And you believe them?" Gwen asked.

"No, I don't," Leon said. "I don't really believe what Genom said, but from the other information that I have is that he is working for Com-Tech. I don't like confronting big corporations like that."

"Have you ever had the chance to talk to the Chairman of that company?" Gwen asked.

"That is the strange part," Leon said as he spun his pen between two fingers. "He is never in, and not a single person has ever seen him. Also none of his own employees have ever seen him."

"Do you even know his name?"

"I think they said that his name was Shaelynn Benton."

"Wasn't his parents killed in 2027?"

"I believe so. But is was just a random act of violence."

"I don't think so."

"What makes you say that?"

"Call it a hunch, but I think that they were murdered."

"Gwen, you know what upstairs would do if you started to open up that old case now?"

"I would more than likely be fired or put on suspension."

"Yeah that is about right. Lord knows that I want to investigate an old case from about three years ago as well."

"Why in the world are you a part of the front line troops Gwen?"

"Because Leon, my special Talent would be put to waste as an inspector."

"I see. So what about the Chairman's son?"

"Now here is the strange part to all of this. The successor to the chairmanship disappears from the public light in the weeks after their death. I think that he went into seclusion to mourn the loss of his parents. Then the 'Blue Knight' shows up the next year. I think that is too much of a coincidence for my taste."

"I don't think that it is so strange. What I saw that was so strange is when the police and the ambulance came to take the Bentons to the hospital.

"What was strange about that?"

"The fact that their son that was with them did not even cry or shed one tear the whole entire time."

"Not a single tear," Gwen asked in shock.

"Not a single one," Leon said.

"That is strange."

"Not strange but almost inhuman. Well let me know if you find anything useful about the 'Blue Knight.'"

"I will and thanks."

With that Gwen and Leon parted way. Leon was amazed that Gwen knew more about the city's supposed hero. He could not discount the fact that he has saved many of the AD Police's troops from getting killed at the hands of a rouge boomer. Yet the fact still remained that he was a mercenary. That much was known. Putting all of this aside for the moment, Leon gave his report to the section chief and then clocked out for the night.

******

As soon as Shaelynn got in the door of his workshop he was livid. Never in his life had he been so angry at the way that he had conducted himself.

"What in the hell was I thinking?" Shaelynn said aloud as he was taking off the helmet to his suit. "That was the most idiotic thing that I have ever done in my entire life. I could have killed them and nearly did. If I didn't have my code of honor I would have killed each and everyone of them right where they stood."

As Shaelynn got his suit off he looked around and saw that his shop had been ransacked. Looking very concerned Shaelynn went to see if his swords were stolen. Luckily they were not. Sighing with relief, Shaelynn placed his suit in the recharging unit and put his clothes back on.

"Well at least they didn't find anything of value." Shaelynn said. "Still I better take those swords home with me tonight. I wonder what it was that the thieves were looking for in the first place?"

Unlatching them from the wall, Shaelynn placed the swords in a special bag and drove off for home. When he got home he noticed that his answering machine had a couple of messages on it.

"Great." Shaelynn said with a resigned sigh. "Who is it this time? If it is my older brother I am not calling you back."

Pressing the button to rewind and play the messages Shaelynn went to the kitchen to get himself a soda. Coming back in the room, Shaelynn heard a very strange message.

"Listen to me and listen good Mr. Benton my name is unimportant, but what I have to say is. I can have someone that you hold most dear killed if you do not do exactly what I say. I know that you talked to someone last night and he told you some things. I am ordering you to not say anything to anyone about it. If you do then she will die."

"What?" Shaelynn said in disgust. "This guy is such a trip. Yet this sounds like the Hacker that Mackie was talking about. If he is an Esper like me then surely he knows that Mackie talked to me. Anyway next message!"

"Shaelynn this is your sister Jessica. I think that our brother is in some kind of danger. He said that he found out something about a girl that he likes and is now a target. This girl sings at the club that you go to every night after you get off work. Please as a favor for me please help him!"

"Tommy is in trouble?" Shaelynn said as he took a sip of his soda. "He likes Priss of all people? So that was what he was up to the other night. I can't believe that he actually likes Priss. I better call Tommy at home and talk to him in person."

Picking up the phone, Shaelynn called his brother's place. Fortunately Tommy was home.

"Yeah who is it?" Tommy answered sleepily.

"Tommy this is your brother." Shaelynn said.

"Bro you realize that it is 3:30 in the morning?" Tommy said.

"Well be that as it may, I am coming over. Jessica said that you are in trouble and I want to know why and what." Shaelynn said as he gave Tommy a mental nudge.

"Ok I am awake now." Tommy grumbled. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Hanging up the phone, Shaelynn went back out to his motorcycle and drove off to his brother's house. Something nagged at him what in the world would Tommy get himself into. There was no way that he would be able to get Tommy out of trouble if he had angered Genom. Tearing down the road through traffic Shaelynn's mind raced as fast as he did through traffic. This time he was not paying attention and as soon as he looked up he saw that there was a stopped car in his lane. Deciding to risk it, Shaelynn concentrated and teleported himself and the motorcycle on the other side of the parked car. Finally getting to Tommy's place, Shaelynn parked his motorcycle and started to walk up to the house. Getting half way up to the house, Shaelynn heard a sound that he thought was and owl

"Pu, Puu!!"

"What in the hell?" Shaelynn asked as he walked over to the tree. When he got to the base of the tree, Shaelynn saw not an owl but a small white thing with rabbit like ears, red eyes and a red Crystal on its forehead. Shaking his head Shaelynn walked into the house. Tommy met him half way.

"Ah Bro I am so glad that you are here." Tommy said.

"Tommy would you mind telling me what in the hell is going on?" Shaelynn asked.

"How about if I tell you that when we get inside."

"Sure thing."

As soon as they got inside Shaelynn was very upset.

"Tommy now tell me what in the heck is going on? Jessica said that you are in some kind of trouble?"

"Bro, there is this girl that I like and well, I found out some things about her." Tommy said.

"Who is the girl?" Shaelynn said as he was taking a drink of his soda.

"Her name is Priss." Tommy said matter of factly.

"Priss?" Shaelynn said as he choked on the drink. "What in the hell did you find out about her that has gotten Jessica so upset? And for that matter where did you find it?"

"Well I found out that at one time Priss had a boyfriend, but he died under mysterious circumstances. AD Police said it was a suicide. I went digging and found out that Genom was the one that killed him."

"Tommy you are an idiot." Shaelynn fumed. "So what in the hell do you plan on doing with that information? If you think for one minute that you will not be hunted down by Genom then you are sorely mistaken. Tommy I won't be able to bail you out of this one if the come hunting for you."

"Bro, so what you are saying is that you are abandoning me to my own fate?" Tommy said nearly getting angry.

"No Tommy I am not." Shaelynn said. "You have just got to realize that since you went digging into Genom's computer files they will be coming after you. But if they connect you to me then I am screwed as well."

"How would they connect you to me?" Tommy asked.

"Simply the fact that we are related. Now think! They killed Mom and Dad for some reason I don't yet know why. Your digging might just draw attention to yourself."

"I had help though and she did the digging for me." Tommy said beaming.

"Who helped you?" Shaelynn asked.

"Oh all I got was a name. She said her name was Ami Mizuno." Tommy said.

"What ever but I should also warn you that there is this sociopath that wants to kill Priss. The reason that I know that was he shot me yesterday."

"He did? Are you alright?"

"Yes he did. And yes I am alright. You be careful he might come after you as well." Shaelynn said. "Tommy I will talk to her for you if you want me to, but just as a precaution I don't think that she will return your feelings. She is involved in a group that discourages any relationships what so ever."

"Thanks Bro and I will take your advice."

"I am glad of that Tommy. Oh and by the way Priss has a concert today."

"Cool I will meet you there then."

After finishing their discussion Shaelynn rode home and went to bed. That night Shaelynn had a fitful sleep. He was having a disturbing dream.

In this dream, Shaelynn was walking through a long dark hall. It was as if the darkness went on forever. The hall was not at all wide. In fact if he placed his back to one wall and stretched his arms out in front of him they would touch the other wall. While he walked down the hall in the dark, Shaelynn could see shapes moving around. These shapes seemed to mass together and formed one shape. Shaelynn then saw this shape advance toward him. As it advanced, Shaelynn found that his will to live was being slowly drained from him. As it did that, Shaelynn could see a that the darkness was starting to envelope everything around him. This darkness was blacker than midnight. Another figure emerged from the darkness. This figure was shorter than Shaelynn by what would seem to be only a few inches. She had dark hair and brown eyes. She reminded him of someone that he really cared about. It disturbed him to see this figure that looked like her. This figure smiled at him evilly and then walked over to a room and disappeared. Then the figure that was draining him continued to slowly kill him. Summoning up all of his courage, Shaelynn was able to beat back the dark energy and surrounded himself with light. Then he heard the sound of a woman screaming in fright. Walking through the darkness, Shaelynn finds a woman that has nearly gone hysterical from fright and terror. Coming closer he sees that she is crying. Gently laying a hand on her shoulder he spoke to her.

"What has gotten you so frightened?" Shaelynn asked.

"I am trapped and I am unable to get out." The woman sobbed. "I was trapped in here by my reflection."

"We will find a way out together. I promise." Shaelynn said with a lopsided smile. He then took her into his arms and held her close filling her with a sense of peace. "Know that I will always be here for you. But for now you must face the darkness on your own. In time a person will come to help you face it together. Don't shut him out. He will be more of a help than you realize." Then Shaelynn disappeared.

The next morning, Shaelynn woke up with a headache and it felt like he had just drank till he got too drunk. Staggering into the bathroom, Shaelynn grabbed the bottle of Excedrin and took two for his headache. He then showered and went to his shop to finish what he had been working on for the past few days. Arriving at his shop, Shaelynn went to work on the project that Sylia had him work on. Looking it over, Shaelynn decided that he was almost finished with this project. All he was going to do was the designs for it and not the actual thing itself. Finishing the designs in a few hours, Shaelynn sat down and went back to work on Priss' motorcycle. His train of thought was interrupted when three large and burly men came into the shop. He could tell by just the way that they walked that they were boomers.

"Can I help you?" Shaelynn asked the men.

"We are looking for this person. Have you seen him?" The men said as they showed him a picture. Not betraying a single emotion Shaelynn just shook his head.

"Nope I haven't seen him, nor do I know him. Why do people from Genom want a innocent kid like him?" Shaelynn asked with a sniff.

"That it is none of you business." The leader of the group said as they left. Finally after they all left the delivery driver showed up with a package for Shaelynn. Paying for the delivery, Shaelynn went back inside and completed the work on Priss' bike. Going to his office, Shaelynn made two phone calls. One of them was to Priss to tell her that she could pick up her bike. When he dialed the number he got a recording that said the number had been disconnected. Thinking that Priss didn't pay her phone bill, Shaelynn then called Sylia and told her that her project was finished.

"You finished it early?" Sylia asked.

"Yeah since I could not build it with out having to pay outrageous prices for the parts, I just drew up the plans for it. I figured that you would build it at your own convenience." Shaelynn said with a resigned sigh.

"Tell you what how about I come pick it up on Saturday like I had planned to do in the first place?" Sylia asked.

"Ok I can hold on to it until then."

After hanging up the phone Shaelynn finished the day and then went home to clean up and to get ready for his usual hang out with his brother at the Hot Legs club. It disturbed him that Priss did not answer her phone, especially if she would be waiting to hear about her bike. He was half tempted to check out why she did not answer. Yet what disturbed him even more was the dream that he had last night. Something about it screamed that it was planted. His nightmares ended after he turned eighteen. That dream was not in his mind but in the mind of someone else. Shaelynn decided to not worry about it right now. What still bothered him was that vision that he had from before he helped out the Knight Sabers. What did it mean? And who was the person that was in danger? He wanted to think that it was Priss. It would make sense if she was being followed by someone. What he really needed to do was take some time to sort out all of the things he had experienced over the last few days.

*******

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the man known only as The Hacker was in the middle of a very important phone call. The person on the other end was very displeased.

"I thought you said that you would take care of him?" The man said.

"Mr Dumas, I assure you I had no idea that he had a suit that was that powerful." The Hacker said. "I was under the assumption that he would be with them in normal street clothes. I didn't know that he owned a hard suit . . ."

"Save you pathetic excuses." Dumas said. "We are coming to Tokyo in three days. If you don't have him killed in that time then we will kill him and you as well." Then the line was silent.

"What am I going to do?" The Hacker asked himself as he paced through his workshop. "I must find a way to kill him so I don't die myself."

As he walked through his shop, The Hacker stopped and pondered an option that he had never thought of. He decided to use his Esper abilities to attack his intended target that way.

Settling down on a couch, he stretched his mind out to find his target. As soon as he found it, The Hacker started to attack his mind. However, the attack failed because he was met with some heavy resistance. Plus to make matters worse his target had strong mental shielding as well. Getting up from the couch, The Hacker rubbed his temples and tried to stop the pounding in his head.

"I had no idea that he was an Esper as well. I couldn't even get past his mental shields. If I had known that then I wouldn't have even tried this approach." The Hacker said in resignation. "Oh well. At least I have another way to kill him if need be. I will let the Knight Sabers do my dirty work for me."

******

Sylia was in her data room going over the various job offers that she was given recently. She was finding it harder and harder to concentrate on each offer. Initially she thought that it was because of the recent nightmare that she had. It was not the dreams that she was having that was causing her to get distracted. It was the fact that someone other than her brother had managed to see past her self-imposed lack of emotions. She believed that he was the first and only person to ever do that.

It bothered her that someone actually did that. It was now Thursday, the day after her brother had been found murdered on Shaelynn's shop floor. She was still in shock that her brother was killed. What was even more shocking was the fact that the person was an Esper. Fortunately, Sylia was above the point of blaming all of the Espers for the death of her brother. Somewhere in the back of her mind Sylia came to a conclusion that she really did not want to. She wanted to find the person that killed her brother and deal with him. However, she knew that if she acted on this grudge then she would also be violating one of her own set rules.

'_Maybe I could have Shaelynn do it for me,_' Sylia thought as she got up out of her chair.

Then it hit her. Everything that she currently was thinking about came back to Shaelynn.

"What has gotten into me," Sylia asked herself out loud. "I can't afford to think about myself."

Then the question that she was asked in her dream came back to her. 'Can you truly be happy the way you are?' Sylia shuddered as she thought about what happened to her when she did not answer. Something about the person that asked her the question made her skin crawl. A name came to mind

"Reishi," Sylia asked herself. "I thought that Reishi was no longer in existence?"

Sighing, Sylia left the room and attended to other matters at hand.

******

At home while Shaelynn was getting ready he got the starting of a headache. Trying to block out the pain he found that the headache was not a headache after all but an attempt to get past his mental shields. Concentrating, Shaelynn managed to shove the person out of his mind.

"So that was this Hacker person?" Shaelynn asked himself as he finished getting dressed. "Oh well that little twit wasn't able to get past my shields."

Walking outside Shaelynn got on his motorcycle and tore off into town. As usual Shaelynn was riding dangerously fast through traffic. As he darted in and out of traffic this night, he was going over in his mind how in the world he was going to tell Priss that his brother really liked her and was interested in having a relationship. Shaelynn was not the type to play matchmaker for anyone since the advice that he would end up giving would be something that he should have taken to heart himself. Putting that train of thought in the back of his mind right now, Shaelynn concentrated on getting to the club before the show started. He knew that Priss started her shows at around eight o'clock or rather close to it. It intrigued him that Priss was actually starting her shows on time now. Back in May she never stared on time at all. Then all of a sudden around July or August she started to show up on time and actually start her shows on time as well. Thing was he had left his house at seven thirty and was a good forty-five minutes from the club.

"Shit I am going to be late and Tommy will be very ticked that I am running late." Shaelynn swore as he gunned the engine on his motorcycle. Luckily it was his older brother Jeff that had given him riding lessons when he was fifteen or Shaelynn would have never had the courage to ride this fast. This time as he zipped through the traffic he noticed that he was at nearly 100 kph over the posted limit. The wind resistance that he felt was tremendous. Shaelynn had to use his powers to keep himself on the motorcycle. However, it was funny that there was not a single highway patrol officer out at all. Shrugging he continued on to the club.

When he got there he noticed that the time was 8:05 PM. Walking inside, Shaelynn had been expecting to hear Priss in full swing and singing up a storm. However, when he got inside he noticed that it was not that way at all. What he saw was the usual crowd that was gathered on the floor waiting for the show to start. Scanning the crowd, Shaelynn saw, in his usual spot, Priss's older brother Akira. He also spotted Tommy in his usual spot as well. Dropping a mental nudge in his direction, Tommy made his way through the crowd and back to where his brother was.

"Hey bro what's up?" Tommy asked.

"Tommy, I just don't know. This is unlike Priss. She was usually on time when she starts a show." Shaelynn said between slurps of soda. "Plus three huge guys from Genom came around asking about you. I warned you about that."

"Surely you are being a bit paranoid don't ya think?" Tommy asked.

"I don't know. Maybe or maybe not." Shaelynn said with a wave of his fork.

"Hey have either of you seen Priss?" a man asked. "She was supposed to have been here at 7:30 for a sound check."

"Um who are you if I might ask?" Shaelynn asked very cautiously.

"I am the club owner." The man said again. "I would've expected this of her several months ago but recently she has always been on time and very agreeable for some reason."

"Did you try calling her place to see if she had left yet?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah I did and well she must have either forgot to pay the bill or her phone is off the hook." The owner said.

"You know I had to call her this afternoon to tell her that her motorcycle was finished and I got the same message." Shaelynn said. "I wonder what is going on with her?"

"Did I hear you say something about Priss?" Said another voice.

Turning around he saw the same red haired woman that he had met just a couple of nights ago.

"Well if isn't Miss Nene." Shaelynn said with a slight smirk.

"Yeah and how did you know my name?" Nene asked.

"I heard your friend say your name and well let's just say I remember every thing that I hear and see." Shaelynn said. "Well as for Priss she is now forty-five minutes late and the owner is very much worried."

"I see. Did anyone call her?" Nene asked.

"I did and so did the owner." Shaelynn said. "To be quite honest with you I am half tempted to go over to her place and see if anything is wrong."

"I'll go with you." Tommy said.

"Tommy, I would rather you stay here. If a certain someone finds out about this we are all in deep shit." Shaelynn said. "Besides if both of us goes and something is wrong we both could be framed for it. I need you here so if anyone asks if they have seen me you can tell them the truth."

"Um do you know where she lives?" Nene asked.

"Rats, I knew that was something I forgot." Shaelynn said. "Hey Nene do you know where she lives?"

"I do but I can't tell you." Nene said.

"Nene, can I speak to you privately?" Shaelynn asked as he got up from the table.

"Sure what about?" Nene asked nervously.

"Well let's just say it's about last night." Shaelynn said. "And you know exactly what I am talking about too."

"Oh ok." Nene said.

"May I use your office?" Shaelynn asked the owner.

"Sure." The owner said and led the two of them to his office.

When they got inside Shaelynn turned around and confronted Nene.

"Alright I didn't want to say anything out there because I respect your privacy." Shaelynn began.

"What are you talking about?" Nene asked.

"Alright fine I know that you and your friend are KnightSabers." Shaelynn whispered.

"How did you find out?" Nene hissed.

"I am an Esper Nene and well I scanned Priss on accident and Sylia as well. That is how I know about them. I put two and two together and figured you and your friend out as well. Especially after what happened last night. I knew that she wouldn't be coming with you." Shaelynn said. "Don't worry I will not say a thing. And don't you say a word to Sylia about this either. If she knew that I knew about you, and for that matter that I was an Esper I would just die."

"You really like her don't you?" Nene asked.

"Who?" Shaelynn asked.

"Sylia that's who." Nene said. "I can see by they way that you look at her that you have some feelings for her.

"Well yeah." Shaelynn said. "Is it that obvious?"

"Don't worry about what people think of Espers. Most people are very glad to have Espers around. Heck the incident of three days ago we knew that there was an Esper near by because there was one in the unit that was trying to deal with the boomer. She knew that you were helping and said nothing about it."

"So all of my paranoia was all for nothing?"

"Yeah kinda."

"Can I get the address now?"

"Sorry I still can't give it to you."

'_Looks like I will have to get it the hard way._'

"Hey I understand. If you don't want to give it too me then that is quite all right. Maybe I am being a bit paranoid." '_Ha, ha, I got exactly what I needed. And to think that she didn't even notice that I scanned her too. She must be that dense._'

With that Shaelynn and Nene left the office and went back to the club itself.

"Well did you get what you needed?" Tommy asked.

"Sure did and now I need you to cover my rear here." Shaelynn said.

"Ok sure." Tommy said.

"Thanks man." Shaelynn said as he grabbed his jacket and helmet. "See you a bit later." He then said as he walked out of the club.

Glancing at his watch it said that the time was about 8:20 PM. Getting on his motorcycle, Shaelynn rode off for Priss' place. He had this feeling that he could not shake that something had happened to her. The events of that day were starting to make sense to Shaelynn. Priss' phone being disconnected, and her not showing up for a sound check when she was supposed to. All of this was smelling like a set up to get Priss alone so whoever it was could kill her. Maybe that was his feeling form the other night was telling him. Something was going to happen to Priss. His first thought as to who wanted to kill her was that person that shot him the other night. It would make sense to him the more that he thought about it. Plus what Priss had said about someone that was following her made even more sense now. He was scared that his feeling that he had last night was about Priss. All of it was starting to fall into place and Shaelynn did not like the way that it was coming together.

Gunning the engine to well within its limits, Shaelynn rode like a man possessed to get to Priss' place. He prayed hoping that the feeling that he got was wrong and there would be a reasonable explanation for all of this. But with the way that his luck had been as of late, he would not put it past that stalker was the one that caused this to happen.

******

Priss was quickly running around her trailer trying to get things together so she could head out to the club for her sound check. She was happy to finally get her life back on track. She had actually found someone that she could actually be happy with. The only question was could she really open up to him.

'_Not after what happened to Kenji_,' Priss thought with shake of her head. She also knew that Sylia would not hear of her having any kind of relationships. Though she would have to have a talk with Linna about her six boyfriends in as many months.

Glancing at the clock, Priss noticed that it showed that she had exactly thirty minutes before she had to leave. That would give her enough time to give Linna a call so she could get a ride to the club. Picking up the receiver, Priss noticed that the line was dead. Setting the handset back on its cradle, Priss tried to remember if she had paid her phone bill or not. For the first time in her life Priss was scared. Could what the Blue Knight have said to her been the truth? Right now she did not know what to believe anymore. However, with what was going on she could not discount that possibility. Cautiously pulling her gun out of her night stand, Priss was going to be ready for anything. Before she could do much more she heard her door being opened. Priss knew that it was not Linna since she did not have the means to call her.

"Whoever you are," Priss said evenly. "Get out!"

"I can't do that," a voice said that sent shivers up her spine. When she heard her door shut she knew that she was trapped with no way out. "I want to know why you insist on spurning me."

"What are you talking about," Priss asked him as she slowly turned around to face him. "I don't even know who you are."

"You don't even know the name of one of your greatest fans," he said as he gave Priss a sickly smile that made her turn away from him in disgust. "I am hurt that you forgot it."

"How did you find me," Priss asked trying not to betray the fear that was creeping into her voice.

"I know everything about you," he said as he started to walk toward her. "I know all of your friends and who they are."

"You lie," Priss said she glared at this stranger.

"Oh but I do," he said as he ran two fingers down the side of her face.

"Don't touch me," Priss said as she slapped his hand away from her. "You are one sick son of a bitch."

"Is that anyway to talk about the only one that has ever loved you," the man said as he caught her hand in his. "I have taken all of the obstacles that were between us. Including that pesky shop owner that was talking to you."

The color drained from her face as the realization set in that the one person that she actually wanted to have feelings for was taken from her yet again.

'_No, I can't believe it. I won't believe it. Not until I see a body. He can't be dead_,' Priss thought in a rush.

"Let go of me," Priss said as she tried to wrench free from his grasp. "I could never have any feelings for a bastard like you."

"I think that you are lying right there," he said as he kissed her on the lips.

The thought of having this person do that to her revolted her, and Priss did not like having people touching her like that with out her permission. She did what came to her with out a second thought. Priss brought her knee up with such force that it caused him to break off that horrible kiss and she watched as his eyes rolled back into his head with the waves of pain. Priss took this moment to try to run to her door to get out of the house.

Some how, this assailant managed to recover quicker than she expected. Priss only had to cross thirty feet to get to the front door of her trailer to get out and to safety. That however would not happen, as she heard the sound of a gunshot ring out. At first she thought that it had hit her, but then Priss saw that bullet had lodged in the door frame. That was the last straw for her. Priss pulled her gun and managed to squeeze off one shot at him. She saw that it hit him square in the chest, and did not effect him at all. She could not figure out what happened next since it all happened too fast for her. One minute she was standing to take a shot at him, and then the next minute she felt as if someone had jabbed a pool cue through her left shoulder. The shock of the bullet entering her shoulder was enough to throw her to the floor. One of the last things that she remembered hearing was that man's voice.

"Now we will be together forever," He said as he walked out of the room and shut off the lights.

******

Sylia had tried to call Priss' place several times in the last half hour. Looking at the clock it showed that it was now 7:00 p.m. She knew that Priss was either leaving her house at this time or had already left. If she had already left then she would have at least got her answering machine. She did not even get that, which was what worried her now. She was going to leave a message about the next job that they had to do and that it was time to upgrade the suits soon. She figured that Shaelynn could be trusted to help her do the upgrades that she wanted to do. If only she knew what his true intentions were. He had admitted to them that he had one of her father's data units. It still made her wonder why in the world that he would have sent it to him. She also was curious to know how many copies were made. He trusted them enough to admit to being the "Blue Knight" to them. She was still not ready to tell him that she was the leader of the Knight Sabers yet. It would be when she actually asked him to help her on the suit upgrades that she would tell him. Right now her main concern was what had happened to Priss.

******

When Shaelynn arrived some fifteen minutes later he saw the same man that shot him just two days before come walking out of her trailer. Breaking into a sprint he caught up to the sociopath. It was too much of a coincidence that the sociopath was here as well. Things was starting to look bad. Quite frankly he did not like where his mind was taking this.

"What in the hell did you do to Priss? You bastard!" Shaelynn said seething with anger. The bits and pieces of concrete and debris that were littering the ground started to quake and float above the ground.

"That is impossible you were supposed to be dead. This is the real life. There ain't no coming back." He babbled on.

"What did you do to Priss?" Shaelynn yelled as he slammed him up against the wall of the trailer. Shaelynn could feel the metal start to give slightly underneath the man that was on top of it. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"I made it so we can never be apart." The guy said now looking very pleased with himself.

"If you have hurt her in any way, shape, or form I will hunt you down and exact the same things you did to her on you. And I know what you look like so don't try to hide. I can even find you by your mental patterns as well." Shaelynn snarled then ran inside.

Inside the scene was chaotic. There was tables overturned and other things out of place. There were signs of a struggle everywhere. The lights were off so maneuvering through the overturned furniture was a challenge. As he made his way into what could be considered the living room, he saw a form lying on the floor. Hopping against hope, Shaelynn picked his way through the overturned stuff to get to the form on the floor. Using his Telekinetic talent to flip on the lights, Shaelynn saw that his worst fears were true. Something did happen to Priss. She was lying face down in a pool of her own blood. She was conscious though and as Shaelynn gently turned her over, the sight that he saw almost made him lose what little lunch and dinner that he had ate. Priss had a large wound in her left shoulder about the size of a quarter. Mentally grabbing anything that could be used to stop the blood, Shaelynn went to work to try to keep her alive. Thoughts raced through his mind. He was wondering if he should have came here first or went to check out why her phone was off the hook or what ever was the matter. As he went to call for an ambulance Priss managed to speak. It was weak but she could talk.

"Don't, the ambulance won't get here in time." Priss said weakly.

"Priss don't talk like that I won't let you die. I swear I won't let you die." Shaelynn said.

"It's too late for me. Oh and the bike is yours. I have two requests that I would ask of you."

"Sure Priss what are they?"

"First, there is an envelope in my night stand. Take it to Sylia. She'll know what to do with it. Secondly, avenge my death. I know that you have the means. So use them."

"Alright Priss I will. I should tell you a few things as well. I knew about you being a Knight Saber and well you might not believe this but I am an Esper.

"No you can't be an Esper."

"I am. I just hid it very well."

"I see and here all this time I never knew and I still liked you. Ha that'll teach me . . ."

"Priss, also my brother Tommy really like you as well. Priss?" Shaelynn said. He then felt her body grow cold. For the first time in seven years Shaelynn had finally had a reason to cry. His best friend that he had only know for a couple of days had just died in his arms. Shaelynn just knelt there and cried for well over an hour. Finally he found her phone and dialed the number to what he would later recall it being the AD Police. As he was waiting he found the envelope and placed it in his pocket and waited outside of her trailer for them to come.

The AD Police arrived with in ten minutes after he had called. One of the first people that got out of the car was Leon McNichol. The others all filed into the trailer to mark everything and dust for prints. Looking at him, Shaelynn could not read anything in his expression. In fact he had a expression of ice.

"Are you the one that called us?" Leon asked.

"Yes I am." Shaelynn said.

"And you are," Leon asked.

"Shaelynn," Shaelynn said.

"Shaelynn what," Leon prompted.

"Just Shaelynn," Shaelynn said coldly.

"Did you see or hear anything?" Leon then asked.

"If you have a minute I will tell you what I found and how I found Priss."

"Do you think he is the one that caused all of this?" Another man asked.

"Daley I don't think so." Leon said.

"No, he is not the one that killed Priss." Said a woman that was getting out of a Squad car. "He tried to save her life even though it was too late for her."

"Looking up at this woman Shaelynn noticed that she had the whitest hair that he could have ever seen and deep blue eyes. Her whole mannerisms reminded him of something akin to the Oracle at Delphi.

"She is an Esper isn't she?" Shaelynn asked.

"You mean Sylvia? Then yes she is an Esper." Leon said.

"I really hate talking to Espers. Something about them creeps me out." Shaelynn said. "It is not that I have anything against them it is just that they tend to get into your mind when you don't want them too."

"Well would you tell me what you found?" Leon asked.

"I will tell only you and that is it." Shaelynn said.

"Why me?" Leon asked.

"Because I trust you more than I would trust anyone else." Shaelynn said.

"Oh," Leon said. He could not understand what was going through this person's mind. And quite frankly he did not want to. Who was this person in the first place. His whole mannerisms gave him the creeps. It was like he was talking to some kind of Boomer. "Now would you tell me what happened here?"

"Well inspector this is what I know happened. I had finished working on Priss' bike and called her to tell her that it was finished. I got a message that said that the phone was disconnected. So I cleaned up, closed down the shop, and went to the Hot Legs club. I met my brother there at 8:05 PM this evening and found out that Priss was late getting in to the club. I talked with my brother and a friend of Priss' named Nene. A charming girl, but anyway I got Priss' address and came over here. When I walked up to the door I noticed that the door had been forced open. When I got inside I noticed that the place looked as if there had been a struggle. I saw Priss lying face down in a pool of her own blood. I had to gently roll her over to see if she was still alive. She was alive, yet she was barely holding on," Shaelynn started. He hated recalling what had lead up to what he had seen, but it was needed. "She had a bullet wound in her left shoulder that was the size of an American quarter. I tried to call an ambulance, but she said that the ambulance would get here late. Which I might add, would have and well that would have been that. I tried to stop the bleeding but I couldn't. Then she died in my arms. I cried for nearly an hour then called you guys." Shaelynn said as he took a shuddering breath.

"So what you are saying is that you came over here found that Priss had been shot tried to stop her from dying and then waited an hour to call us after she had died?" Leon asked in shock. This person told him every little detail without one hint of emotion in his voice. It was really beginning to frighten him. Was he dealing with another Adama right now or what? "You could have left or searched her place for valuables or what ever. But you didn't. Why is that?"

"Well first of all I have too much respect for her to never steal from her. Secondly, The only thing that she had of value was her motorcycle and it was at my shop. Plus she said that I could have it. And besides if I did kill her then why in the world would I have tried to save her and for that matter why in the hell would I be talking to you right now?" Shaelynn said in answer to Leon's question.

"Inspector, there are fingerprints on the deceased's body." said one of the junior detectives.

"Inspector McNichol, those fingerprints are mine and you know why they are there too." Shaelynn said.

"Don't worry about them they were there while she was alive." Leon said. "Shaelynn would you be willing to go back to the station and retell me what happened?" Leon then asked.

"Sure I would be willing. I will follow you back to the station." Shaelynn said as he got on his motorcycle. Shaelynn then followed Leon back to the AD Police headquarters. When he got there he followed Leon over to his desk and began to retell the tale of what he found at Priss' place.

After finishing his statement, Shaelynn was about to leave when he was harassed by a short person with a large mop of red hair and green eyes. She was wearing the standard AD Police uniform.

"Hey what is a person like you doing here?" She asked.

"Just giving Leon a statement and that is it." Shaelynn said. And who might you be little girl?"

"Argh I am the top scientific genius in all of Tokyo." She began. "I am Yuriko Hiroshi!"

"Right so AD police are employing twelve-year-old children now?"Shaelynn said as he started to leave the building. As he walked out of the station he saw a woman waiting for him in the lobby. She was shorter than him by a considerable amount. In fact it looked as if she only came up to his shoulders in height. Her long red-brown hair was neatly braided up so it would not be to hard to wear a motorcycle helmet or any helmet for that matter. What got his attention was the fact that she had expressive hazel eyes.

"Can I help you?" Shaelynn asked.

"Um could we talk for a bit?" The woman asked.

"As much as I would like to I can't right now." Shaelynn said. "I am kinda in a hurry."

"I see." The woman said. "When you are not busy give me a call. My name is Gwen."

"I will Gwen, and thanks" Shaelynn said and then exited the building.

Getting out of the police station with out incident, Shaelynn got on his bike and was about ready to head over to Sylia's place. As he was about to leave he saw a man walk by that looked very lost. Getting off his motorcycle, Shaelynn walked over to him to see if he needed directions. As he got closer Shaelynn noticed that the man wore a tiger-striped bandanna. Recalling where he saw it before was on a small black pig.

"Um excuse me but you seem lost." Shaelynn said hesitantly.

"Where is Furinkian High school?" The man then said as he whirled around and grabbed Shaelynn by the shirt.

"Calm down." Shaelynn said. "I think that the school is in that direction." Shaelynn said as he pointed in the direction that the man had came from.

All he heard next was some swearing and then man wandered off in exactly the opposite direction that he pointed. Shaking his head, Shaelynn got on his bike and rode off for Sylia's place. Once again he had to be the bearer of bad news. This was not going well for him at all. This was the second time in as many days that he had to tell her bad news.

'_Why in the world must I be the one to tell her?_' Shaelynn asked himself. '_It is not my place to do this every single time. I can't do it, for that matter I will not do it!_'

In the back of his mind he could swear that there was someone telling him to do it. Shaelynn was not the type to listen to his conscious in these instances. He had to fulfil Priss' final requests. To do that meant talking to Sylia and telling her about Priss' death. Bringing bad news to people was one of the things that he did not like to do. But due to recent circumstances beyond his control he had to do what he hated the most. Thinking about the fact that Priss was killed in the prime of her life made a tear come to his eye. He began to wonder why would anyone want to kill her in the first place. It then donned on him what the person that he came across said. It was something to the effect of he made sure that they would never be apart ever again.

When he got to Sylia's place he could not hold back the flood of emotions that poured out. Shaelynn just sat on his motorcycle for a good half hour and cried. When he stopped, it puzzled him that he was crying over the death of someone that he barely knew. Why now was he wracked with feelings of guilt and sadness? He was never the type to let sadness get to him. Except this time. Something about finding someone dying made Shaelynn lose control of his emotions for some time.

******

Sylia's nights were getting very tortured as of late. That night was the worst. Something about what she was experiencing was beginning to weaken her resolve. It was almost as if a presence was lurking inside her mind. From what she could tell it felt as if who or whatever was there was trying to kill her. The mind that invaded her's was powerful. It had managed to destroy all of her shields leaving her mind exposed to the mental onslaught. The nightmares that she had been having intensified. She was vulnerable and alone. This time the man in the golden light was not there to help her and this bothered her. Every time before he had always been there for her. If only to give her the mental strength to push the dreams back. This time he was not there and she woke up screaming. As she calmed down she could hear a loud and desperate knocking on her door. It sounded like the person was banging on it. Pulling on a robe, Sylia opened the door to find Shaelynn standing there looking very worried and to her it looked as if he had been crying recently.

"Sha - Shaelynn what brings you here at midnight?" Sylia asked.

"Sylia, I really hate showing up here under bad circumstances every single time." Shaelynn said as he dug his toe into the carpet.

"Please come in." Sylia said. "So what has happened that you need to tell me? It looks as if you have been crying. What about?"

"Sylia, how well did you know Priss?" Shaelynn asked as he started to pace the length of the room. He was nervous and it showed in the way that he paced her room like a caged tiger.

"She was like family to me." Sylia said as she watched him. She could see that his whole demeanor was a mix of several emotions that he was fighting to keep under control. Where in the world was he going with this line of questioning? "Why do you ask? Is something wrong with her?"

"Well I went to Priss' place to check on her and well I found her dying of a gunshot wound." Shaelynn said shaking in fright. It was almost as if he were experiencing the terror of finding Priss dying again. That was a feeling that he did not like to feel. He had to stuff that feeling before he lost control yet again. "She was beyond help. The ambulance would have gotten there too late."

Sylia could almost sense the terror that he was feeling. She had never seen him affected by anything this bad before. He was always so in control of his emotions. Something that she could only dream of doing. How in the wold did he do it? Before she could speak Shaelynn continued to babble.

"I did not know what to do . . . I was helpless once again . . . I couldn't do anything," Shaelynn said incoherently. "Once again I was powerless."

Shaelynn stopped his pacing and looked at Sylia. He was expecting to hear a response. He could swear that Sylia wanted to start to cry but was holding back the torrent of emotions. Seeing her like that snapped him out of his guilt and back to normal. Deciding to chance it again, Shaelynn walked over to her and took her into an embrace. He did not want to let her go this time, he was empathic enough to tell that she needed someone to support her in this crisis. Shaelynn decided right then and there that he would be the one that would always be there for her.

"Sylia, go on and let it out." Shaelynn said soothingly. That much was hard for him to do. He did not want to make a mess of this. "All of this penned up emotion should not be held back."

Finally the dam on her emotions broke and Sylia started to cry really hard. Looking down at her, Shaelynn noticed that Sylia was clinging to him. Shaelynn's heart melted right there. He had never seen Sylia this vulnerable before. All he could do was hold her tighter and radiated soothing thought and compassion.

"Sylia, please help me to understand what you are going through." Shaelynn said.

"It's just that I lost two people that were very close to me within a few days of each other." Sylia said still crying.

"I don't know what to say." Shaelynn said as he still held her. "I wish I knew what to say or do to make you feel better, but I don't."

"I don't know either." Sylia said. "But it puzzles me every time I am hurt or sad you are here to help. Why is that?"

"I am just concerned for you that is all. Besides who else would you turn too?" Shaelynn said. "Plus there are some things that you need to know about me. They might change the way you think of me but I am used to that by now."

"What is it that you think I need to know about you?" Sylia asked.

"Well Sylia, you see I am an Esper." Shaelynn said as he pulled away from her and went back to being his cold self. "I won't blame you if you hate me. I am used to it by now."

"You mean that you are an Esper?" Sylia asked in shock. '_It is not as if I didn't already know._'

"Yes I am." Shaelynn said letting the statement speak for itself.

"Why tell me in the first place?" Sylia asked.

"Sylia, this is going to sound really weird. Since I have known you in highschool I sorta have a crush on you." Shaelynn said. '_Stupid! Why in the world did you have to be blunt about it? And why in the world would you bring that up now_?'

"Well I am flattered, but I can't be tied down by a relationship." Sylia said.

'_I knew it! She doesn't feel the same about me. That is just great. Oh well I have been rejected before. I was not surprised at all by this. Maybe this is a bad time to bring this up. What do I mean maybe? This was a bad time to say it_!' Shaelynn thought.

"I know that." Shaelynn said. "But you need to realize that you can't always bare this emotional burden alone."

"I have been doing it this long." Sylia said.

"Listen, I know all about the burden that you are carrying." Shaelynn said. "You don't have to carry it alone."

"What are you saying?" Sylia asked.

"I am saying let me in your life." Shaelynn said. "That is all I ask. Nothing more."

"Do you realize what you ask of me?" Sylia asked. "You are asking me to open up to you when that would go against everything that I believe in. I don't even know you."

"Sylia, we have known each other since high school." Shaelynn said. "Listen we had two classes together and for that matter we always had lunch together. Up until you disappeared after graduation, I thought that we would keep in touch. And now I see you here."

"You are right I do remember you from school. You were the only one that I could have a decent conversation with." Sylia said. "But I have too many things going on right now."

"Are they too important not to want to think about yourself?" Shaelynn asked.

"Yes. I can't overlook the fact that I have things that must be done. My life is unimportant right now."

"What about the nightmares?" Shaelynn asked. The expression on Sylia's face was that of shock. "I saw a little bit of them when you touched me. I didn't mean to do a deep scan, it just happened." Shaelynn said as he returned to pacing the room. He was beginning to try to find a way to get out of this conversation and eventually leave. At the moment he was failing miserably.

"So you do know about them, don't you?" Sylia asked.

"Yeah I know about them." Shaelynn said as he stopped by the windows. "I have been having a similar dream. Now I think that I understand the meaning of my dream. I think that yours might be related to mine or the other way around."

"Can you help me with them?" Sylia asked.

"As you wish." Shaelynn said.

"How?" Sylia asked as she got up from the couch.

'_She is still upset. I wish that I could do something to ease her pain. But I am no god._' Shaelynn thought. '_If only she would not try to shut me out. Maybe I shouldn't of tried to get a relationship going. I am so insensitive sometimes. No, make that all of the time_.'

"Sylia the only way that I can think of is to take control of your dreams." Shaelynn said.

"That is it?" Sylia asked in shock.

"That is my guess. But about you. Let me ask you one question." Shaelynn said as he laid a hand on the window.

"Ok what is your question?" Sylia said as she stopped a few feet from him.

"My question is this." Shaelynn began. "Can you truly be happy with the way you are?"

As soon as he asked his question, Sylia started to panic. She could not believe that he would have asked the same question that Reishi had asked her.

"What did I say?" Shaelynn asked as he walked over to her.

"Your question was exactly what I was asked in my nightmare." Sylia said as she backed away from him.

"Well what did you answer?" Shaelynn asked.

"I couldn't answer." Sylia said. "I didn't know how to answer."

"Well are you happy the way you are?"

"I don't know."

"Yes or no is all this question requires."

"Then I guess I am happy the way I am."

"Sylia, don't lie to yourself. I am not pressuring you, but I can tell that you are not happy with the way you are now. You have never been treated like a woman at all. It always has been as a leader or surrogate mother to two of your friends, and to your departed brother. I am offering you a chance to have someone else be in your life. Some one who will shower you with all of the affection that you deserve. Nothing more."

"I suppose we could try to have a relationship." Sylia said. "But you realize that this will be very awkward for me."

"As for me." Shaelynn said as he looked out of the window. "This is going to be my first actual relationship."

"Really?" Sylia asked. I would have thought that you would have had at least one girlfriend.

"Sadly, no." Shaelynn said with a resigned sigh. "Because I am an Esper, that tends to turn off most people."

"I see." Sylia said. "Yet why would that turn off most people?"

'_Are you that dense?'_ Shaelynn thought. '_Geez, even my own sisters can figure that out._'

"Sylia what you may not understand is that as soon as they find out that I am a Telepath they usually run." Shaelynn said. "Yet you seem not to care about that."

"Why should I care?" Sylia asked.

"Well I don't know why." Shaelynn said very exasperated. '_Funny though I seem to feel sympathy and remorse for her. She seems to want so much but is not willing to give anything in return._'

"Would you do one favor for me?" Sylia asked.

"What is it?" Shaelynn asked half turning.

"Stay here tonight."

"Sylia, as much as I would like to, there is no way I can stay with out feeling guilty." Shaelynn said as he laid a hand on her shoulder. Inside he was recoiling in terror. He had decided that he would never allow himself to get close to her. As much as he liked her, Shaelynn knew that the only thing that would come of his getting close to Sylia would be heart ache. "However, I will leave you with a very special gift."

What Shaelynn did next, startled Sylia. Shaelynn took off his gloves and then in an act of either pure bravery or stupidity, Shaelynn cupped her face in his hands and then kissed her. As soon as he pulled away, he was expecting to either be slapped or something. What he got instead was Sylia blushing.

"What did you just do?" Sylia asked when she could speak.

"Sylia we are now mentally linked." Shaelynn said as he pulled his gloves back on.

"Linked? How?" Sylia asked when she regained her composure.

"Sylia because you were willing, I was able to use my Telepathic Talent to put a little piece of me in your mind and you in mine." Shaelynn said. "Call it a two way emotional link. That is all."

"I see." Sylia said. "When will I see you again?"

"You know where to find me." Shaelynn said. "One last thing before I go. Priss, before she died asked me to give you this envelope. She said that you knew what to do with it." Shaelynn said as he handed the envelope to her.

"Thank you." Sylia said as she took it from him.

"Now I have a favor to ask of you." Shaelynn said.

"What is it?" Sylia asked.

"Please go back to sleep. I will be there for you now." Shaelynn said gently.

"Alright." Sylia said.

"I must go home now but I hope to see you soon." Shaelynn said as he walked out of her apartment.

As soon as Shaelynn left, Sylia opened the envelope and read it's contents.

Sylia-

If you are reading this then for some reason I am dead. Maybe on a job or it was in a traffic accident. Whatever the case I want you to know that I have never bore you any ill will in regards to you stopping me from a suicidal course of action three years ago. In fact I am glad that you did stop me.

Regarding my position in the KnightSabers I have decided that the Blue Knight is the only one qualified to take my place. Please treat him with the respect that he is due. He is a kind and gentle man with a good heart. I should know. I haven't told anyone but he was the one that I wanted to have a meaningful relationship with. This is the only time that I will tell anyone this so please as a request among friends, don't tell him this. Thank you Sylia for all that you have done.

Priss

"Oh Priss if you only knew that he did not share your feelings." Sylia said as she finished the letter and wiping away a tear. "So she wants Shaelynn to take her place? I was going to ask him to join eventually. It seems that I will be asking him sooner than expected. Would he want to join us is what I do not know about him."

After finishing the letter, Sylia laid back down and tried to get back to sleep. Finally some thirty minutes later she did manage to get back to sleep.

******

As Shaelynn got on his bike to return home, he glanced up to Sylia's apartment. There were feelings of fright that were going through his mind that he would do something to destroy everything that was just established. It was not really fright but pure terror of failure that haunted him. The failure was that of a long forgotten memory. Some things have a habit of resurfacing when they least expect it. In Shaelynn's case it was a memory of a time when he was helpless. He was unable to stop a man from attacking his older sister. He was only fifteen at the time. Since then, Shaelynn swore that he would never be helpless ever again. He was torn between going back up there and staying and following through with his promise to avenge Priss' death. Realizing that his promise to Priss was a priority, Shaelynn rode off to his shop. He always kept his promises no matter what else may come up. That was the way that he was.

When he got to the shop, Shaelynn started reconfiguring his suit to capture the killer. Shaelynn was half tempted to not capture the killer and just kill that man right there. He knew that he could not do that at all. By killing him he would have broken his oath of never killing a human being in cold blood. He had good reasons for having such a code of ethics. He knew since he was a child that to have the powers that he did required tremendous amounts of self control. It was because of that, that Shaelynn would never get angry. It was something that he just did not do. He also put thoughts of vengeance out of his head as well for the exact same reasons. He also kept a tight rein on all of his emotions as well. He never let himself feel happiness, joy, love, or pain. He shut off all of his feelings and never allowed himself to feel. It was choice that he had lived with all of his life. Nothing and for that matter not a single person would change that. He would make sure of that one way or another.

Shaelynn continued to modify his suit to capture the man. He took off the electro dagger on his right arm and replaced with a whip. Shaelynn also turned down the voltage on the whip side to just enough power to stun his intended target. Not being stupid he left the other dagger on and then rerouted the extra power from the dagger power plant that was being used on the whip to the lasers and the other dagger power plant. He still needed the other weapons just incase he ran across some of Genom's "lost" boomers. Lost indeed, they were specifically programmed to go berserk.

Plus tonight he knew that there would be at least one Boomer that was looking for his brother. Shaelynn knew that he could not be in two places at once. He would have to choose who to go after. If he caught the killer quickly, then he could go after the boomer that was looking for his brother. Quite frankly he had to rescue his brother. Aside from his older sisters and Natasha, Tommy was the only one that he actually got along with. Shaelynn knew that he did something stupid when he went looking for information on Priss. He wondered how Tommy would take the news that Priss was murdered. Shaelynn figured that Tommy would not take it at all well. In fact he was almost sure that Tommy would want to avenge her death.

"Funny thing though, I am actually doing something out of pure revenge," Shaelynn said as he continued to work on his suit. "I thought that I would never have thoughts of revenge. Well that is the price I pay for letting someone get close to me. They tend to work their way into my heart and then I don't want to see them hurt. Ah well, I wonder if I will always be like this since I have finally told Sylia how I feel about her? That was the stupidest thing that I have ever did. I don't really have time for feelings of love. They make me think with my heart instead of my head."

Finishing the modifications to his suit, Shaelynn looked at the clock. The time was two in the morning. Shedding the jumpsuit and the mesh, Shaelynn stepped into his modified suit and took off to find the person that killed Priss. Skimming along the roof tops he started to scan the city for any signs of him. Strangely enough he found him standing outside a house on the outskirts of the town. Glancing at the house, Shaelynn recognized that the house was where his three sisters lived. Jessica, Kim, and Natasha all lived together in this house since their parents died. Their brothers Jeff, Keith, and Tommy all lived away from the house in different parts of the city. The only one that they still had contact with was Shaelynn.

"What in the hell is he doing at my sisters' place?" Shaelynn fumed.

Landing just outside the driveway, Shaelynn walked the rest of the way up the driveway to where the person was. Getting to within reach of his whip, Shaelynn spoke.

"Cameron Michaels!" Shaelynn shouted. The microphone inside his helmet magnified his voice to the point where he could be heard. Waiting for him to turn around Shaelynn hoped that he did not wake up his sisters. Glancing up at the windows he saw that they were awake already. "You must be brought to justice for the murders that you have committed!"

"I committed no murders." Cameron said shakily.

"Dose the names Brittany McGee, Melissa Andrew, Courtney Scott, and Priscilla Asagiri ring any bells?"

"All of them are mine." Cameron said. "They can no longer leave me!"

"**THEY ARE ALL DEAD THANKS TO YOU**" Shaelynn bellowed. "I will not let you harm anyone else. Too many people have suffered. I will not let one more family be broken up because of you." Shaelynn then said as he launched his whip at Cameron to try to catch him. Some how he managed to avoid it.

'_Damn he is quick._' Shaelynn thought as he recoiled his whip and started to chase after him.

******

Nene had just got back to work when she saw that Leon was upset for some reason.

"Leon what is wrong?" Nene asked.

"Nene, you had better sit down." Leon said.

"Ok." Nene said as she sat down. "Now what is wrong?"

"Priss has been murdered." Leon said bluntly.

At that Nene just broke down and started to cry. She could not believe that someone would want to do her any harm.

"Why - why would anyone want to kill Priss?" Nene said through sobs. "Priss didn't hurt anyone."

"I know Nene I know." Leon said as he tried to comfort the grieving red-head. He was getting nowhere fast. He had no idea what to say that would comfort her.

"Who found her?" Nene asked.

"Shaelynn found her. Do you know him?" Leon asked.

"I talked to him briefly at the Hot Legs tonight. I had no idea that he knew where she lived."

"Well he was a reg. . ." Leon started but was interrupted by one of the dispatchers.

"Inspector, there is a running fire fight between an armored individual and a boomer. The person in armor seems to be running after a man."

"I see." Leon said. "Tell my unit to move out and try to intercept him."

"Understood." The dispatcher said.

Composing herself enough she realized that she had to call Sylia and give her the bad news. Dialing the number to Sylia's place Nene waited until the phone was picked up. It was on audio only so she could talk privately.

"Hello." Sylia said sleepily.

"Sylia this is Nene." Nene said on the verge of crying again.

"Nene what is wrong?" Sylia asked.

"It's Priss, she's dead." Nene said this time crying.

"It's alright I already know I was told about two hours ago." Sylia said.

"That isn't the half of it. There is some armored individual that is causing problems because he is chasing someone and fighting a boomer as well. We need to stop him. If we can we need to get the 'Blue Knight's' help as well to stop him."

"Ok Nene I'll prep the suits." Sylia said. "You are right this cannot be overlooked. Get over here as fast as possible."

"Right." Nene said as she hung up.

Figuring some way to sneak out, Nene got on her scooter and went over to Sylia's place.

When she got there Sylia was already dressed in their soft under suit that their Hard Suits attached to. Nene quickly changed into hers and they both boarded their suits and headed out to find this person that was causing the ruckus.

"Sylia, did you get a hold of the Blue Knight?" Nene asked.

"No I didn't." Sylia said sharply. "I haven't been able to get in touch with him since he last worked with us."

"I see." Nene said.

When they arrived Sylia and Nene saw that the boomer was well under control and the person in armor had fled the scene. Nene and Sylia split up to look for him.

"Nene if you find him, do not I repeat do not engage him." Sylia cautioned. "I have a bad feeling who this is and we could be fighting for our lives if we engage him."

"Understood, Sylia." Nene said as she flew off to look for the person.

Sylia also flew off to look for the mysterious person as well. She had a sick feeling that the person in the armor was Shaelynn on a vendetta. She had no idea what would have set him off like this. Though she had a pretty good idea. If they had to stop him then she knew that just the two of them could not do enough to incapacitate him for very long. If she could only figure out why he was able to move so quickly in that suit of his then she could have an effective plan to stop him.

******

Shaelynn had managed to lose the person that he was tracking yet again. This was really beginning to irritate him. Shaelynn needed to find that murderer and quick before he managed to double back and return to his sisters' place. On top of which there was still the fact that there was a boomer that was looking for his brother. He hopped that his brother was still alive when he got around to looking for the boomer. Stopping to get his bearings, Shaelynn's proximity sensors went off. Turning to face the direction of where the sensors pointed, he saw that there was a pink Hard Suit that was watching him.

'_Well I see that Sylia and Nene are here. Question being why though?_' Shaelynn thought. '_Could it be because of what I have been doing? That had better not be the reasons for this. I would hate to call her a hypocrite_.'

Ignoring the suit, Shaelynn continued to look for the murderer. He was not about to let him get away again. Finally catching sight of him again, Shaelynn skimmed off after him. Once again when he got to within reach of him with the whip, Shaelynn got his attention.

"I told you that you can't hide!" Shaelynn said.

"Why must you do this? I meant no harm by it. I wanted them to return my love and they scorned me." Cameron said.

"**PEOPLE ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU**!!" Shaelynn yelled. "I will not allow it to happen again." Shaelynn growled as he launched his whip at Cameron.

Like before Cameron dodged out of the way, but this time he was not expecting the whip to follow him. Unfortunately for Cameron he was caught by the whip and it encircled him.

"Don't try to struggle." Shaelynn said. "The more you squirm the tighter it will get."

"You would deny me the love of my beloved Natasha?" Cameron said.

"She doesn't love you." Shaelynn growled as he flexed his wrist. A low level electrical current ran down the whip and into his body. "I will not allow you to speak her name!! She would never want you!!"

At this moment two other figures came out of the shadows and freed him of the whip. Once freed, Cameron ran off again. Turning to see who it was that freed his prisoner, he saw that it was a silver and blue Hard Suit and a red and pink Hard Suit. Shaelynn's heart sank when he saw them. How could the woman that he loved just go and betray him like that.

"What do you think that you are doing by crushing him like that?" The silver suit asked.

"Saber Prime, That man killed a very close friend of mine and was about to do the same to another." Shaelynn seethed. "And you set him free!!"

"Still you didn't have to try to crush him." the pink suit said.

"I was trying to subdue and take him in to the police." Shaelynn growled. "Now I have to find him again."

"This ain't over between us. Not by a long shot!!" Shaelynn said as he got into the face of Saber Prime.

Sylia was getting very furious. She switched to her suit communications channel and tuned it to the Blue Knight's frequency.

"Shaelynn, if that is you listen to me." Sylia said.

"Sylia why should I?" Shaelynn growled. "I trusted you and now you betrayed me. I really hate it when I am betrayed. It hurts the worst when the person that I have feelings for is the one that betrayed me."

"If you would have told me what you were up to I would have helped you." Sylia said.

"Yeah what ever!" Shaelynn said as he cut the internal communications.

"Saber Prime, if you and Saber Pink want to help then stay the hell out of my way. I will not let Priss' death go unavenged!! If you get in my way again then I will consider you two my enemies, and deal with you appropriately." Shaelynn snarled and took off to look for him once again.

"Sylia, what is going on here?" Nene asked.

"It seems that the Blue Knight is out for vengeance." Sylia said. "I suggest that we discreetly help him to find the person that we let go."

"Are you crazy?" Nene asked in shock. "I think he means to come back and kill us when he takes him in. Besides without Linna and Priss we can't even try to stop him. I mean with Priss and Linna we would really be at a disadvantage. But with just two of us we are sorely outnumbered."

"No I don't think that he will do that." Sylia said more to herself than to Nene.

"How do you figure that much?" Nene asked in wonderment.

"Let's just say I have a hunch." Sylia enigmatically.

"Ok fine let's go help him." Nene said as she took off to follow him.

******

Shaelynn was very irate now. How could he have been so deceived into thinking that he could trust the KnightSabers. He would deal with them when the time came. He would not kill them, just scare them to the point that they would understand to not get in his way again. He knew that what he did would probably cause Sylia to call off their relationship. This was something that he had taken into consideration when he said what he did. At the moment he did not even care. As he flew on to find his target, he was hit by a wave of total fury. It was so bad that Shaelynn dropped out of the sky like a rock. Luckily, he used the jets on his suit to slow his decent and landed. Making sure that no one was looking, Shaelynn pulled his helmet off and clutched his temples in pain. Focusing on the person that was broadcasting on such a wide mental band, Shaelynn found that the person that was in a rage was none other than Priss' older brother, Akira.

"Shit, he knows and now I have to find Cameron before Akira does." Shaelynn swore. "I need to make this quick. Otherwise I will have to deal with Akira as well as the Knight Sabers."

Then it hit him. In the last six years the prisons were so over crowded that first time offenders were hardly ever put in prison. It was usually a slap on the wrist and let off with a minor charge. Shaelynn was determined to not let this guy escape justice. Of all things his next target was his baby sister.

"There will be no trial for this one." Shaelynn growled as he put his helmet back on. "His punishment will be death. The punishment shall fit his crime."

With that he flew off to find the person and deal with him. In flight, Shaelynn talked himself out of killing him and letting the courts deal with it. Shaelynn found the person some twenty minutes later. Landing right in front of him, Shaelynn wrapped him up in his whip and then flew off.

"What are you going to do with me?" Cameron asked.

"I am going to bring you to justice." Shaelynn growled.

"Ha ha! They will just let me walk." Cameron said. "Besides there is no proof to tie me to all of them. I was just making sure that they would never leave me."

"You killed them you psycho bastard!!" Shaelynn snarled as he tightened the grip on his whip. "Now shut the hell up or I will strangle you right here!"

As he flew towards the AD Police building Shaelynn decided to find a way to make the charges stick.

'_There is no other way to do this and I hate to read people's minds._' Shaelynn thought. Looking at Cameron, Shaelynn deep scanned him and found the location of where the gun was that he used to kill Priss. It was amazing that the AD Police passed right over it. Landing at what used to be Priss' place, Shaelynn tied Cameron to a tree with a piece of Abodex cable that he had brought with him. Walking over to where the gun was Shaelynn reached out with his mind and placed it in a bag. Grabbing the bag and Cameron, Shaelynn then flew off to the AD Police.

As soon as he landed the rest of the AD Police immediately swarmed around him and tried to arrest him.

"I want to speak to an Inspector McNichol." Shaelynn said over the external microphone.

"I am Inspector McNichol." Leon said as he picked his way through the crowd. "How can I help you?"

"I have a suspect in the murder of Priscilla Asagiri." Shaelynn said. "Here is the murder weapon." Shaelynn said as he handed Leon a bag. "This gun should match the bullet that killed Ms. Asagiri and that was used in an attempted murder on my employer. Plus the fingerprints should be the same as this man's."

"And your employer is?" Leon asked.

"His name is Shaelynn Benton." Shaelynn said. He was enjoying all of this and it took a great force of will for him to not crack up with laughter. "Mr. Benton has instructed me to inform you that he is willing to press charges."

"I see." Leon said. "But why does he look a little ruffed up?"

"He tried to run from me." Shaelynn said.

"Well I will be getting a hold of your employer as soon as possible to fill out all of the paper work." Leon said as he took the prisoner away.

"Understood." Shaelynn said. "I must be going now. I have some unfinished business to attend to." Shaelynn said as he flew off.

Deciding to deal with Sylia almost immediately, Shaelynn flew over to her building. There was something that he was forgetting to do. Thinking about it, Shaelynn remembered that he needed to find the boomer that was after his brother. Scanning the city for any signs of his brother, Shaelynn was worried that the worst had happened. Getting nothing, Shaelynn started to boil over with rage and frustration. The water in the pool started to get waves in it as Shaelynn skimmed past it. Landing on the deck outside of her room, Shaelynn easily forced the door open and walked into the place. Deciding to stay in his suit, Shaelynn just stood in Sylia's room and waited. It was some time later when she came back up to her room. However, she was still in her suit. It turns out that Shaelynn had tripped a silent alarm and Sylia had came upstairs to see who it was.

"What are you doing here?" Sylia asked in shock to see the Blue Knight in her place.

"I said this wasn't over." Shaelynn said as he took off his helmet. "Now Sylia do you want to talk to me civilly, or shall we fight it out?"

"How do you know who I am?" Sylia asked defensively.

"Oh come on now I have known for some time. Besides it wasn't that hard to figure out." Shaelynn snapped. "Now do you want to explain why in the hell you did what you did?"

"Well Shaelynn dear, if you would have told me the entire truth about you in the first place this wouldn't have happened." Sylia said.

"Look this wasn't any of your concern," Shaelynn said coldly. "I was asked by Priss to avenge her death. And I was not even able to do that. On top of which I think that with your getting involved in something that you shouldn't have, my brother is more than likely dead. Thanks a lot for nothing. I should have killed that bastard. But I knew if I did then I was no better than him. Besides if you did help me would you not be breaking one of your own rules? And I quote 'Solo actions are prohibited.' also 'do not act on a personal grudge.' Now tell me isn't the violation for breaking one of them execution?"

"That is true." Sylia said. "Now I had no idea about that part. Who was after him and why?"

"No one that you need to be concerned about." Shaelynn said coldly. "However, that is water under the bridge right now we have a bigger problem."

"What is it?"

"Priss' older brother. He has gone mad. It turns out that he found out that Priss was dead and now he is wanting revenge of his own."

"I had no idea that Priss had any living family." Sylia said in amazement. "I was under the impression that all of her family was killed in the earthquake."

"Not all of them." Shaelynn said. "Priss was the youngest of four kids. Two older brothers and a one older sister. Akira is the oldest of the four and then Priss' other brother and then her sister. I am afraid that her brother is not going to take this that easily."

"But he is just a normal person." Sylia said dismissing it casually.

"I wouldn't dismiss it that easily. Akira is an Esper." Shaelynn said.

"What?" Sylia asked in shock. "That is impossible."

"No it isn't impossible." Shaelynn said. "He is, and if I am not mistaken he will attack anyone and anything that gets in his way to kill the person that killed his sister."

"Could we deal with this later?" Sylia asked through a yawn. "I am so tired."

"As am I and well I need to put my suit in a charging unit." Shaelynn said.

"Come with me you can use one of ours." Sylia said as she led him down into the equipment bay.

When they got down there, Nene had just stepped out of her suit and was putting it in the recharge unit. As soon as Sylia and Shaelynn stepped in the door Nene was very upset.

"Sylia how could you?" Nene squealed.

"It is alright Nene, he knows about us." Sylia said. "He just needs to use a charging unit to charge his suit."

As Nene looked over she got the biggest shock of her life. She saw Shaelynn in the armor of the Blue Knight.

"You mean he is the Blue Knight?" Nene stuttered.

"I thought he told all of us a couple of nights ago?" Sylia asked.

"Um well I erased everyone's memories of my admitting who I am." Shaelynn said.

"You didn't erase mine." Sylia said.

"That is a long story and I will explain it later." Shaelynn said as he keyed the sequence to allow him to get out of the suit. When the automated systems finished, Shaelynn stepped out of his suit. Sylia and Nene both noticed that he was wearing similar inner wear that they wear. Shaelynn then hefted his suit into the recharging unit and closed it. Turning around, he saw that both Sylia and Nene were staring at him. He noticed that Nene was blushing.

"What is it Nene?" Shaelynn asked.

"Nothing." Nene said innocently.

"Uh huh," Shaelynn said bemusedly. "Well Sylia do you mind if I crash on a couch or something?"

"No I don't mind." Sylia said.

"Thanks." Shaelynn said.

******

That night while he slept, Shaelynn had managed to roll of the couch and land on the floor with a resounding thud. Getting up off the floor, Shaelynn looked around and saw that Sylia was still asleep. Sitting on the couch, Shaelynn just thought about what was going on. He was still angry over the fact that his brother may be dead. If that was not bad enough, he still had a job that he had to finish for someone. This was a big job and for the life of him he really hated doing it. It entailed him getting close to one of the most influential people in the world and then kill him. It was against his moral code to kill someone in cold blood. This was the reason that he had to turn down the job of assassinating the KnightSabers in the first place.

'_This isn't right. I shouldn't even be here. I still cannot bring myself to stay here. I wish I knew why it was that I agreed to stay here in the first place? I know what will end up happening if I do and well I don't want any hurt feelings. I have to leave. I am surprised that they have not even asked me about my past yet.'_ Shaelynn thought as he silently got up.

Shaelynn found a pen and a piece of paper and wrote her a note. It was not very long, just long enough to let her know that he left and why. Silently teleporting down to the equipment room, Shaelynn pulled his suit from the recharging unit and put it back on. Then teleporting back up to her room, Shaelynn stopped by her bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek before teleporting outside.

"I am so sorry Sylia but I just can't stay." Shaelynn said once he had his helmet on.

Using his telekinetic talent to lift himself off of the roof and to a height that was safe enough to ignite his flight jets, Shaelynn waited to see if anyone noticed him and then flew off. Checking the chronometer that was inside the helmet he saw that is was nearly four in the morning.

Muttering something about not wanting to open the shop, Shaelynn flew back to the shop to change. When he landed outside of his shop, he saw someone waiting for him. As he looked at the person, he noticed that it was Priss' older brother.

"What are you doing here?" Shaelynn asked as he set his own reflexes into the three times mode just incase he had to deal with him. "My employer will not appreciate you hanging around his shop."

"Tell your employer that I will kill him and the person that killed my sister. It is his fault for not protecting her. If I see him he dies. Any and all of her friends that knows her and especially the KnightSabers will die. I am not blind to the fact that she was a part of the KnightSabers. They especially will die." Akira said fuming.

"Whatever." Shaelynn said as he opened the door to the shop and walked in.

Not wanting to chance a confrontation with him, Shaelynn locked the door and pulled off his suit. As he was doing that he allowed his body to slowly come down off of the enhancement that he used. It took a full four hours before he was back to moving at what could be called normal.

"What in the hell makes that little twit think that I was supposed to protect her?" Shaelynn asked himself as he pulled his mesh back on. "I am no one's bodyguard and that is final. Well only if I am paid handsomely then I will bodyguard someone. However, I will not bodyguard someone that works for Genom. I don't care how much I was paid. Still if that bastard even lays one finger on Sylia I will personally kill him. Code of honor be damned. But they do need to be warned."

Teleporting home, Shaelynn went to the living room and fell asleep on the couch.

******

The next morning Sylia woke up and half expected to see Shaelynn's sleeping form still on one of her couches. What she saw was that he was gone. This puzzled her. Walking over to the computer to check the security cameras, she found his note. All it said was:

Sylia-

I can't stay. There is no way that I would be able to stay right now with out having my conscious nagging at me. It isn't right. I wish that I could explain it but I can't. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am scared that I will hurt your feelings if I do something wrong. I am scared Sylia. This is new ground for me and I am just plain terrified that I will do something wrong. I am so sorry.

Shaelynn

"How does he think I feel?" Sylia asked herself as she read the note. "It is almost as if he refuses physical contact of any type. What is he still hiding from me?"

Checking the security cameras, Sylia noticed that Shaelynn had taken his suit and then disappeared from the building all together. This was intriguing her none to say the least. Here she was seeing someone and it was looking as if he did not want any physical contact what so ever. She had no idea whether or not that he was scared of her or sharing any physical contact. This puzzled her and irritated her. She would have to deal with this later. Right now she needed to check on Linna.

Walking down the hall to the spare room, Sylia was going over everything that Shaelynn had told her last night. It amazed her that Priss' older brother was an Esper. She had no idea that there was any of Priss' family that was still alive. This was an instance of someone having more information on one of her former members than she did. She did not like this in the slightest. As she opened the door, she saw that Linna was up and moving about. Sylia decided to explain everything to Linna later. However, she needed to get in touch with a funeral home to prepare a service that was befitting Priss. While she was on the phone, Linna walked in and sat down. As soon as she finished her conversation she went over to talk to Linna.

"You feeling better Linna?" Sylia asked.

"I am a little better." Linna said as she stretched. "What happened to me?"

"Well Linna it turned out that the boomer that we took out was a set up. Who ever sent it made the thing to take all of us out. This boomer was designed to split apart and pick us off one by one. I think that they were not expecting to have to deal with the Blue Knight as well. He was the one that saved you from getting killed." Sylia said at length.

"Um where is Priss wasn't she supposed to be here today?" Linna asked.

"Well Linna, Priss was murdered last night by a person that was stalking her." Sylia said. "I am still trying to find out everything but the only one that has any information about it is Shaelynn and well I haven't had the time to talk to him."

"What does Shaelynn have to do with all of this?" Linna asked as she wiped away a tear.

"Well Shaelynn was the one that found her, and well he knows more than he is willing to tell." Sylia said. '_Yeah tell her that Shaelynn was about ready to execute him and for that matter us out of pure vengeance for Priss' death_' Sylia thought as she tried to comfort Linna.

"Sylia, when you talk to him, I would like to talk to him as well." Linna said. "I have to ask him about some things myself. I seem to have some parts of my memory missing and I was hoping that he knew what could have caused it."

"Alright I will call him and see if we can talk to him today." Sylia said as she dialed the number to his shop. Strangely enough there was no answer at the shop.

"Well?" Linna asked.

"He is not there." Sylia said. "That is strange I would expect him to be there at this hour."

"Where do you think he could be?" Linna asked.

"I have a hunch as to where he would be so let's get going there." Sylia said as she walked out of her place. Linna quickly followed right behind her.

******

That morning was stressful for Shaelynn. It was not like he had enough stress with running his custom shop. Already he had to attend several business meetings and on top of that he had to get back into the mood of running his company once again. He never really understood the reasons for keeping both businesses in operation, but as he thought about it more he came to one conclusion that he liked the most. That being the fact that he would have a place to work on his suit in private. Granted he could use the space below the office to do the work, but he also liked to work on Motorcycles as well. Shaelynn's mind was going in circles from all of the things that he had been told. It was at times like this that Shaelynn was glad for having a photographic memory. He could just listen to them and then sort out all of the stuff later.

He had been at his secondary job of the garage for too long and it was beginning to eat at him that he was not more in touch with the workings of his company like he should be. He knew that if he stayed at his company and did what he had to there then there would be no way that he would be able to keep up the guise that he was just a mild mannered shop owner. He knew that if Genom found out that he was in full command of Com-Tech then they would have even more reason to want to kill him. On the other hand if the Executive board found out about his antics as a hired mercenary, then he could be kicked out of the office. Even so he was the sole holder of all of the controlling shares of stock in COM-TECH so he was not too worried yet.

That morning for some strange reason that he just could not quite explain, he knew that there would be two people coming to see him. He did not know why they were coming to see him. All he knew was that they were coming and that was it.

"Mariko, I am expecting a couple of people sometime today." Shaelynn said as he walked out of his office.

"Do you know what they look like?" Mariko asked.

"Well one of them has green eyes and wears a yellow head band. She almost always dresses casually. The other one always dresses really nice and has brown eyes. Their names are Linna Yamazaki and Sylia Stingray." Shaelynn said.

"Ok I understand. What should I tell them if you are not here?" Mariko asked.

"Tell them that I will be right back I had to go check on something elsewhere." Shaelynn said.

"Ok I will." Mariko said. "How long do you expect to be gone?"

"Not very long." Shaelynn said. "I will see you after a bit." And with that Shaelynn stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the parking garage. As soon as he got to the garage Shaelynn got in his car and drove off to go do a few errands.

One of the places that he stopped was at a small grocery store. As he walked in he noticed that it still had people coming in and buying groceries from it. It surprised him that a small business like this was still operational. What with Genom and Green Foods providing all of the food for Tokyo and a good portion of the world. Picking up some things that he forgot to get yesterday, Shaelynn casually walked around the shop. It had a feel of a family. That was a feeling that he liked in a store. The larger supermarkets had a feeling that felt artificial and created. Maybe he was old fashioned, and that was his best way to remind himself that he was really human on the inside.

'_I think I will always get my groceries here from now on. I like the feel of this place.'_ Shaelynn thought.

As soon as he got all of the things he needed he walked up to the counter to pay for them. He noticed that there was only one person that worked here. However, it did not bother him that much because this was a small store and it did not need many people to run it. The owner of this store was a woman. Shaelynn did not have anything against a woman running a store but it surprised him that she looked so familiar. If only he knew where he had saw that face before.

"Will that be all?" The lady asked.

"Um yes that will be all." Shaelynn stuttered.

"With the tax it will be five thousand yen." The woman said.

Shaelynn handed the lady six thousand for the groceries and after receiving his change started to leave.

"Um excuse me sir may I take a moment of your time?" The woman asked.

Curious as to what she wanted, Shaelynn walked back over to the counter.

"Sure we can talk." Shaelynn said with a smile. This was one of the few times that he allowed himself to smile. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could direct me to a non corrupt private investigator." The woman said

"At the risk of sounding rude, but why do you need a private investigator?" Shaelynn asked.

"Well I was hoping one could help me track down my missing children." She said.

"Um how long has it been since you have seen them?" Shaelynn asked.

"Well you see I left my husband back in 2020 when he would refuse to come home at night. He would spend weeks on end at work with out any concern for his family." The woman said.

'_Hold on here_,' Shaelynn thought. '_That raises all kinds of red flags here. I wonder if she is who I think she is?_'

"May I ask your name?" Shaelynn asked.

"It is Cassandra Stingray." Cassandra said. "I wouldn't expect you to understand what I am going through. Because you and your parents must get along very well."

"We did when they were alive." Shaelynn said.

"What happened to them?" Cassandra asked.

"In the years after the huge Earthquake my parents were killed by a supposedly rouge boomer." Shaelynn said in disgust.

"Why would Boomers kill your parents?" Cassandra asked.

"Ms. Stingray what you may or may not realize is that it was Genom that murdered my parents." Shaelynn said.

"Who was your parents?" Cassandra asked.

"Emmett and Melinda Benton." Shaelynn said.

"I see." Cassandra said.

"You know if you want I can try to look for your two children for you." Shaelynn said. "What are their names?"

"Sylia and Mackie." Cassandra said.

"Sylia and Mackie?" Shaelynn said more to himself. "Tell you what I will try to find them and let you know where they are."

"How much will I have to pay for your services?" Cassandra asked.

"Ms. Stingray, I will not charge you because I want to see you reunited with your children." Shaelynn said.

"You are too kind." Cassandra said.

"Well Ms. Stingray I must be going now and I will get on that as soon as possible." Shaelynn said.

Getting back in his car, Shaelynn drove off first for home to put up some of the groceries and took the rest back to work with him. What he had offered to do for her was already done it was just a matter of telling Sylia that he had found her mother. It amazed him that he actually found his sense of compassion once again. He figured that he would surprise them both. However, what was going on took higher priority than that for the moment.

As soon as he parked his car Shaelynn went over to the private elevator that took him up to his office on the thirteenth floor. Putting the soda pop in the refrigerator, Shaelynn went out to tell Mariko that he was back. As he stepped out of his office he saw that the two people that he was expecting was waiting for him. Shaelynn's expression could not be read, but the one that was on Linna's face and for that matter Sylia's was plain as day. It was a shock to see that Sylia of all people was speechless. Linna kept opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water as she tried to make sense out of what she was seeing. Inviting them into his office so they could speak privately, Shaelynn knew exactly how he was going to question them.

"I suppose you both want to know what I am doing here?" Shaelynn asked them.

"Yes I would like to know why you are here instead of at the shop." Sylia said with some venom to her words. "You could have at least told me that you would have been here."

"No I couldn't have." Shaelynn said.

"And why not?" Linna asked.

"Well for the simple fact that there was a Genom agent in the lobby waiting to identify me and well if they know that I am running this place now then there will be one more reason for them to kill me."

"What in the world would Genom want you a mild mannered garage owner killed for?" Linna asked. "And why are you in the Chairman's office?"

"Are you that dense?" Shaelynn retorted. "I am the Chairman of this company. "The garage that I run is to keep Genom from figuring out that I am in charge of Com-Tech."

"Oh." Linna said as she recoiled from Shaelynn's outburst.

"The reason why they want me killed is for this." Shaelynn said as he slid a thing across his desk about the size of a credit card.

"What is it?" Sylia asked.

"That is the first ever fully functional Artificial Intelligence." Shaelynn said.

"But my father was the one that developed Artificial Intelligence that would be used for boomers." Sylia said as she picked it up and looked at it.

"Ah but this one has something that those didn't have. This one has the capability to learn and grow. You see this AI was built to never under any circumstances harm a human no matter what the provocation. It must obey any orders that a human gives it, except if the order is to harm a human. Finally if must be able to preserve its own self, of course as long as it doesn't break the other two programs."

"So in a sense you have just made an AI that is a pacifist?" Linna asked.

"Not exactly. Think if you will to what the boomers were originally designed for. Space exploration. This AI will be ideal for just such an application."

"What I see is that you are starting to act like the Chairman of Genom." Sylia said.

"Sylia, no I am not." Shaelynn said tartly.

"This was or I should say is the prime project of this Company." Shaelynn said. "My father was murdered for the information on this AI and one other thing. A computer virus that is able to shut down all boomers and render their primitive AI's inert. All of this plus some technical data on a new type of battle suit that he and Dr. Stingray were working on, and the camera footage of Dr. Stingray's murder was sent to me on a data unit."

"Where is that data unit?" Sylia asked. "I would like to look at it."

"It is safe. And that is all I will tell you." Shaelynn said. "Let's just say that I don't trust my secretary to not be a Genom agent."

"I see." Sylia said. "The real reason that we are here is because I need to know just how much you truly know about what happened to Priss last night."

"Sylia tell you what, how about I meet you at your place and I will tell you everything about what I know and if I were you two, I would ride down in my elevator with me." Shaelynn said.

"Why do you say that?" Linna asked.

"Because there is someone that wants to kill the both of you and well let's just say he is an Esper." Shaelynn said.

"Ok." Linna said.

"Mariko I am taking the rest of the day off." Shaelynn said as he shut his office door.

Getting in the elevator with them, Shaelynn could not help but to brush into Linna. As per usual he got a very deep scan from her. The impressions that he got from her was that of confusion and of total outrage. Luckily the outrage was not directed at him but at the person that killed Priss.

"Don't worry Linna that little shit won't be seeing the light of day for several years." Shaelynn said. "I hope."

"Huh? How did you know what I was thinking?" Linna asked in shock and with enough ire to not be noticed.

"Linna I am an Esper." Shaelynn said bluntly. He also managed to catch that little bit of outrage from Linna. Shaelynn decided to keep quiet about it.

"That is impossible!" Linna said in horror. "There is no way that you could be and Esper. I mean all of the Espers that I have seen were . . ."

"Were driven mad by their powers." Shaelynn said finishing her train of thought. "I am one of the very few that was not driven mad by my powers. I have had mine since I was three." Shaelynn said sadly. "They have been my curse."

"That long?" Sylia asked. "I am surprised that you were not driven mad at such a young age. I would not call them a curse."

"Sylia I tuned out the voices in my head easily." Shaelynn said. "Besides it was not that hard. And yes they are a curse. I have found myself answering to peoples thoughts and I can't really do anything aside from my jobs without dire consequences."

"How can having a normal life have dire consequences," Linna asked.

"Don't you understand yet," Shaelynn said evenly. "If I were to the job that you are doing now, I would have an unfair advantage over the others. I could not play sports, for the same reason. I was a social outcast. And because of my accursed abilities I can't really have any kind of normal life at all."

"I see." Sylia said. "But what bothers me is what you said about an Esper that wants to kill us."

"Get hold of Nene and I will tell you all about it when we are together." Shaelynn said as the doors opened.

As soon as they stepped into the garage, Shaelynn got an impression of danger. Looking around, Shaelynn could not see anything. There was a sickening silence that permeated the parking garage. Shaelynn was trying to figure out where the danger was coming from. Unfortunately the attack came from his blind side and was not directed at him. The attack was directed at Sylia and Linna. The only warning that he had was a little voice in his head telling him to stay with them.

The attack came quickly and with out any warning. The lighting started to spark and explode. It took Shaelynn two seconds to realize that this was the work of an Esper. Running at top speed back to them, Shaelynn saw that the cables had been broken loose and were snaking around them.

'_Shit if I don't get them out they will die. Sylia is scared I can tell that much. Linna is as well.'_ Shaelynn thought. '_This is Akira's doing I know it. He is trying to kill three of us now and then drive poor Nene insane by just stalking her and then killing her. He must be stopped. Problem is I am not powerful enough __to do it. We will have to kill him. There is no other choice. I really don't want to, but this is the final straw with me.'_

Deciding to risk it, Shaelynn teleported next to them. Grabbing the both of them, Shaelynn then teleported to the one place that he could go to on instinct. His sisters' place. Fortunately for Shaelynn his sister Jessica left the living room furniture in the same places that they have always been. This time when Shaelynn appeared in the living room his little sister Natasha was watching the television.

"Where are we?" Sylia asked when they appeared.

"Sylia we are at my sisters' place." Shaelynn said.

"Shae, what is going on?" Natasha asked.

"What do you mean?" Shaelynn asked innocently.

"Well there was this man lurking outside the house and then there was this man in armor that chased him off." Natasha said. "The man in the armor was you wasn't it?"

"Yes Natasha it was and that other man will no longer be here any more." Shaelynn said. "As soon as I am able I want you to learn the martial arts that Mom taught me."

"Shaelynn, we need to talk and I mean now." Said a woman about Linna's height. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. This was Shaelynn's oldest sister Jessica.

"Sis not right now." Shaelynn said. "Besides I have a berserk Esper that wants to kill me."

"It is about Tommy that I need to talk to you." Jessica said.

"What did he do this time?" Shaelynn asked.

"Well take my hand and I will tell you that way." Jessica said.

"Alright sis." Shaelynn said as he took her hand.

'_Sis what is it? What has happened to Tommy?'_ Shaelynn asked

'_Tommy was killed by a Boomer last night_.' Jessica said with pain evident in her tone

'_Not Tommy! I told him to watch his back._' Shaelynn said as he choked back tears. '_I could have stopped it but I let my rage and anger get the better of me._' Shaelynn thought as he broke the connection with Jessica.

As soon as he broke contact with Jessica, Shaelynn was torn between rage and sadness. The rage was that of someone that has just lost someone that was very close to him and because it just fueled his growing hatred for Genom and the combat Boomers that they made. The Sadness was that of losing his little brother. Outwardly, Shaelynn's face did not betray what it was that he was feeling on the inside. Jessica had to leave the room, due to the fact that the way that he was acting always set her nerves on end. Brushing away all contact, Shaelynn walked out of the house and went over to a tree to sit and mull over all of the conflicting feelings that he had. He had to get them under control before he started acting from his heart.

Sylia was shocked to see that Shaelynn had just walked out of the house without saying a word to anyone. She could sense that he was upset with himself. However, when she looked at his face she noticed that he did not even show any feelings at all. This bothered her, but it also intrigued her as well. Sylia knew that he needed to have someone there for him. Deciding to follow him, Sylia walked out of the house and in the direction that Shaelynn went. This was the first time that she has ever seen him so upset. Usually Shaelynn was unflappable and so reserved. However, to see him like this was enough to break Sylia's usual emotionless expression on her face. She was genuinely concerned about Shaelynn.

"Shaelynn, what is wrong?" Sylia asked him as she approached him.

"They will pay." Shaelynn said. "I can't believe that I allowed him to be killed."

"What happened?" Sylia said as she sat down beside him.

"I told him to watch his back. I warned him to be careful." Shaelynn said as he started to babble incoherently.

"Who did you tell?" Sylia asked.

"My brother Tommy." Shaelynn said.

"What did he do to get killed?" Sylia asked as she got closer to him.

"Well he found out some information about a girl that he likes and well let's just say they killed him for it." Shaelynn said.

"Who was the girl that he liked?" Sylia asked as she mulled over all of the possible people that it could be.

"Priss." Shaelynn said with a noncommital shrug.

"Priss?!" Sylia said in shock. She had no idea that there was someone that actually had the courage to want to date Priss. This was becoming a day full of revelations.

"Yeah I volunteered to talk to her for him. But I told him that I didn't think that she would want to date him. Mostly because of what happened to her last boyfriend and because her being involved with your group." Shaelynn said as he inched away from Sylia. At that moment he did not want anything to do with other people. All he wanted was to have time to work through this on his own.

"What did he find out about her anyway?" Sylia asked him. '_I wish he would open up to me like I have to him._'

"Well what he found was that it was Genom that killed Priss' last boyfriend. Some how, I don't know exactly how they managed to trace the information back to him." Shaelynn said. "I think that they found his contact and got it out of her. They then killed her as well."

"Who was his contact?" Sylia asked.

"Someone by the name of Ami Mizuno." Shaelynn said. "I think that the name was a fake. But I told him to be careful. Now I know that he did not listen to me."

In an act that was very unlike Sylia to do, she embraced Shaelynn just as he had done for her when she was upset at the death of her brother. This time Shaelynn did not shrink away. Instead he accepted this bit of kindness with out even saying a word. Sylia was amazed that Shaelynn actually accepted this from her. She could sense along the bond that they shared the grief and guilt that he was going through and trying to keep under control. Also she could sense the unconditional love that he had for her. When she sensed that from him she allowed herself a smile and held him close.

After several minutes, Shaelynn and Sylia started to walk back to the house together. As soon as Shaelynn tried to take Sylia's hand in his she stopped.

"No." Sylia said emphatically.

"Why? Shaelynn asked.

"I will not accept this." Sylia said as she grabbed Shaelynn's gloved hand. "If you won't accept contact with me, then I suppose that you will be forever alone." '_He is still holding back from me. Why would he do that? What more is he hiding from me?_'

"Sylia you know why I never have physical contact don't you?" Shaelynn asked.

"No. Because you never told me." Sylia said.

"Well it is because of the fact that whenever I touch someone I deeply scan them." Shaelynn said. "I don't ever intend to do that it just happens that way."

"I see but I insist that when we are together you not wear those gloves." Sylia said. "I care too much about you to see you acting this way."

"Ok I understand." Shaelynn said as he pulled off his gloves. He then tentatively reached for her hand. Shaelynn was both shocked and amazed when she took his hand. Shaelynn then had to suppress the urge to jump in fright. Also he tried to shut out the fact that he was deeply scanning her the whole time. The reassurance that he got from her grip was well needed to soothe his now frazzled nerves.

As soon as they got back to the house Linna was pacing about the living room like a caged animal. Something about her mannerism caused Shaelynn's little sister to leave the room. It was a given fact that Shaelynn was the only known Esper in his entire family. However, Jessica suspected that both Tommy and Natasha were at least Telepathic. She also suspected that Natasha was also at least Empathic as well. Shaelynn and Sylia walked in the house one in front of the other. Shaelynn had put his gloves back on and resumed his cold and distant expression. Fortunately Sylia did not see that. In a sense it was a good thing since it would more than likely scared her. Sylia could see that something was wrong with Linna. Shaelynn could sense it almost immediately. She was upset and angry. It did not help much that she had materialized in an unfamiliar place.

"Linna what is wrong?" Sylia asked.

"I was just wondering what we are going to do now about all of this." Linna said.

Shaelynn squirmed as she said what she did. He knew the real reason that she was pacing and it made him want to shout about her blatantly lying. He kept his temper in check this time. This time he could sense something more about her. It was almost as if it was hidden. He never actively scanned anyone since it would be, in his eyes, rude to do that. In this case she was broadcasting her feelings so loud that he could not help but hear them. This time he could sense her feelings toward Espers. She hated them. Why he had no idea nor did he care at the moment.

"Well let's get my car and we can go back to my place and discuss it." Sylia said. "Shaelynn is it possible that we can go back to the garage where our cars are and go some place where we can talk?"

"Sure we can go back now." Shaelynn said as he focused on his office. "We will have to teleport back because I am afraid that if there is anyone that recognizes my sister's car then they will know I am with her."

"Fine by me." Linna said.

"Good. Now as soon as we get our cars we will split up and eventually meet back at Sylia's place." Shaelynn said. "Sylia I can assume that you will want to get Nene as well?"

"Yeah I will." Sylia said.

"Well call her from here and please tell her to be ready in fifteen minutes." Shaelynn said.

"Why in such short amount of time?" Linna asked.

"Because, the transport from here to my office takes two minutes. The ride to the garage takes three minutes and the commute time from Com-Tech to AD Police headquarters is ten minutes." Shaelynn said. "I will be at your place within forty minutes after leaving the building."

"Why all of this secrecy?" Sylia asked.

"Because Sylia, have you forgotten about the Esper that wants you killed?" Shaelynn asked.

"Good point." Sylia said as she grabbed Shaelynn around the waist and held on. Linna then grabbed on around his shoulders. Then in a loud "pop" all three were gone.

When they reappeared they were all in Shaelynn's office. Fortunately the elevator was still on and running. The ride down to the parking garage was very quiet. When they got down to the garage Shaelynn could see that the remains of several power lines were laying on the ground and were, thankfully shut off. It puzzled him to find that the garage was so quiet. Motioning them to quickly get to Sylia's car, Shaelynn walked through the garage looking for any sign of problems. Finding none, Shaelynn got in his car and drove off to his house to get an item that he wanted Sylia to see. After changing into some casual clothes, Shaelynn grabbed a jacket and then went looking for his data unit. It took him ten minutes to find it. Stuffing the data unit in his coat, Shaelynn grabbed his helmet and got on his motorcycle and tore off toward Sylia's place.

******

Elsewhere in Tokyo, The Hacker was planning how to make sure that his intended target was dead. He decided to use the one thing that he knew would kill him for sure. The Hacker decided to use an exact copy of the "Blue Knight's" armor right down to the exact detail to make sure that he is dead. He knew that if this did not work, he would be dead with in two days. He was tempted to kidnap one the 33-S Boomers that was freed due to the pressure that was put on Genom by the Chang Conglomerate and Com-Tech to get Genom to release them. It was a long hard battle and after the United Nations declaring the 33-S a sentient race, Genom was forced to release them and into the general public. It was through Com-Tech that all of the 33-S got legal identities and were give work permits. As one of the stipulations that the UN put on Genom, Genom had to give up the data disk that contained the information to allow them to not become "vampires" and kill people to get the blood that they needed to live.

It was this type of Boomer that The Hacker wanted to use to wear the suit that he had made. The suit it self took several days to finally get all of the data that he needed to build it properly. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when he had found out that the suit was built in the one place that he had never suspected. It was built at Com-Tech. It had been easy to read the minds of the people inside Com-Tech to know how to build the suit. They were all very weak minded and it was so simple to invade their minds to get the details.

He knew that a 33-S would never willingly die to kill someone else. So he decided to wear the suit himself. The Hacker only had one problem. How in the world did the "Blue Knight" make the thing move. Settling down into a chair, he began to search for someone that could tell him what he wanted. The mind that he found was that of a woman who was sleeping. As he probed through her mind he found out that she was a member of the Knight Sabers. It was just recently that she was injured by the boomer that he had reprogrammed to kill all of the Knight Sabers. It puzzled him to learn that the "Blue Knight" was the one that had saved her. Finally finding what he wanted, he pulled out of her mind but not before he left her with a very bad headache. The Hacker then amplified the phobia that she had of Espers. He wanted to make sure that she would suffer greatly before he killed them all. It was fortunate for him that the person that was stalking one of his intended targets had already did his dirty work for him.

"Now all I have to do is have this under suit made and then I will be ready to kill all of the Knight Sabers and most importantly that shop owner." The Hacker said with a very evil laugh.

Almost if by chance his video phone clicked on. On the other end was a very upset man. Well at least he looked like a man. Whether or not he was a man still remained to be seen. His face had taken on a very lean look. His dark brown eyes were now a light shade of blue. His black hair was now down to about his waist and looked as if it has started to spike in places. It also seemed that his face was locked in a scowl. Almost as if something had made him angry and the expression had been frozen on his face. [Author's note: If this description sounds like that of Goku from Dragon Ball Z in his Super Saiya-jin 3 form then I am so sorry. I had finished watching DBZ Movie #13 when I wrote this part.]

"You will not kill the Knight Sabers." Dumas said with as much annoyance that he could put in his voice. The expression on his face made the annoyance that he put into his voice all that much more menacing. It was apparent that Dumas was not going to let this breach of agreement go unpunished.

"If you so much as harm any of them I will make sure that you will die with them." Dumas growled. "We were to wait until the first of the year to kill them and that is final."

"I - I understand Mr. Dumas." The Hacker said shaking.

"This out burst on your part shall not go unpunished." Dumas said as he waved a hand.

A wave of pain racked The Hacker's body. Electricity arced off his body causing him to convulse uncontrollably. After three minutes the pain stopped. The Hacker dropped to the ground panting.

"If you fail this time then I will use the same method to kill you. Slow and painfully." Dumas said as he shut off the connection.

"How did he know what I planned?" The Hacker asked himself. "I must remember to be very careful about not killing the Knight Sabers."

With his plan in mind he walked off to work on the final piece that he needed to be able to use his suit.

******

Elsewhere in the city a shadowy figure watched all of the chaos and mayhem that was going on in the city. The look on his face was that of utter contempt. This would be his third time to attempt to destroy all of the life in this city and free all of his so called "people". Knowing that there was one person that he both loved and hated in this entire world just drove him to utter madness.

"Soon all of the pathetic humans that I have been manipulating will be here in this city and then I will be able to have my revenge." The figure said. "And I will have my bride at my side this time. It will be glorious."

******

Sylia was surprised that Shaelynn had made it to her apartment in exactly the amount of time that he said he would. As Shaelynn walked in the door he saw that Linna and Nene were trying to console each other over the loss of Priss. As Sylia saw Shaelynn walk in through the door she could tell that he was back to his old self again. If she did not recognize it herself then she would not have realized that Shaelynn was now cold and distant. It was almost as if she was looking at a mirror image of herself there. Although she did not show it outwardly, Sylia was frightened of this aspect of her significant other.

"I take it that you got what you wanted from home?" Sylia asked.

"Yeah I got it." Shaelynn said. His voice was as devoid of emotion as a human being could get. "Now ladies if I may be so bold." The last statement was more of a command than a question.

"Uh sure ok." Nene said with a slight bit of hesitation in her voice. She was terrified that Shaelynn was acting this way.

"Say what ever it is and then leave us alone." Linna spat.

"Linna do you really feel that strongly about me?" Shaelynn asked.

"I don't trust you, and for that matter why do you want to talk to all of us anyway?" Linna said with some venom to her voice.

"Both of you please stop the fighting." Sylia said sternly. "Now Shaelynn tell us what you wanted to tell us earlier."

"Well for one thing, there is a mad Esper that wants to kill you three." Shaelynn said bluntly.

"Why? What did we do?" Nene asked.

"Well Nene he believes that you three were part of the cause that killed his little sister." Shaelynn said. "I am sorry to be blunt about it but when the little so and so is also after me as well then it becomes personal."

"Why does he want to kill us in the first place?" Linna asked. "Surely he doesn't know about us being . . . er the work that we do."

"Drop the secrecy crap. I know all about the Knight Sabers." Shaelynn said bluntly. The looks that he got from Linna and Nene were that of shocked and upset that their secret had been blown wide open.

"How long have you known? " Nene and Linna both managed to stammer out at the same time. "And for that matter how did you find out?"

"Well I have known that Priss was one since Monday night. I found out about Sylia on Tuesday morning. So I put two and two together after the fight Wednesday night when Saber Green got hurt by that Boomer. I knew that Linna and Nene came to the Hot Legs together. So I figured out on Thursday that Linna was one of the Knight Sabers. Which just left Saber Pink. It didn't take much but talking to her that evening and I figured out all of you." Shaelynn said at length.

"But how did you find out all of that?" Nene asked "I mean you just don't dial 1-800-KnightSaber and find out about us all like that."

"No I didn't do that." Shaelynn said suppressing a slight chuckle. "Nene I am an Esper and that is how I found out about you, Priss and Sylia being Knight Sabers. Linna, as I said was obvious when she didn't come with you Thursday night."

"Oh, and what does all of this have to do with the Esper wanting to kill us?" Sylia asked.

"Well he believes that you three were slightly responsible for her death." Shaelynn said. "I never said that he was rational just a slight bit twisted."

"Well what about the person that killed her?" Linna asked. "I mean surely he is still out there trying to win the affection of his next intended victim."

"Not on your life Linna." Shaelynn spat. "His next 'romantic interest', if you could call it that, was my baby sister Natasha. You met her just today. Let's just say that I made sure that he will not try that again."

"What? Did you kill him?" Nene asked.

"No I turned him over to the AD Police." Shaelynn said.

"Well if that is the case then he might have gotten away." Nene said.

"How and when?" Shaelynn asked with a slight snarl. He could see Linna and Nene recoil with fear.

"Well it seems that some one had managed to clear a path for him all of the way out of the AD Police Headquarters." Nene said. "This happened at around one in the afternoon today."

"That was the same time that we were nearly killed at the Com-Tech building." Linna said.

"What were you two doing there?" Nene asked.

"We were getting him." Linna said pointing to Shaelynn.

"Linna he is just a mechanic at a garage." Nene said with a laugh.

"Not all of the time Nene." Shaelynn said.

"What do you mean by not all of the time?" Nene asked in shock.

"Well Nene I am also in charge of Com-Tech as well." Shaelynn said. "However you all don't know that you understand?"

"Why the secrecy with that?" Nene asked.

"Well let's just say that Genom wants me dead that's all." Shaelynn said with a shrug.

"I see. But why does this Esper want to kill you?" Sylia asked concerned.

"Well he thinks I was her bodyguard and I failed at my duties to protect her." Shaelynn said. "I mean I know that Priss would not like the fact that there was someone that was looking out for her. Besides she could take care of herself. Plus I did warn her to be careful."

"True, so who is this Esper that we are talking about anyway?" Linna asked.

"His name is Akira Asagiri." Shaelynn said. "Priss' older brother."

"What?!" Nene and Linna chorused together "Since when did she have any siblings?"

"That I don't know." Shaelynn said as he shook his head. He was lying about not knowing about Priss' brother. He knew for quite sometime that he would go insane if something happened to her. "But what I do know is that his power is vast. He can use the shadows to teleport and can also sense thoughts and other Espers as well."

"May I say something?" another voice said.

"Who was that?" Nene asked as she looked around for the person that spoke.

"It is alright Nene it is just Michael." Shaelynn said as he fished out the card that he carried with him. "Sure Michael what do you have to tell us?"

"Well I found out exactly what Mr. Asagiri is capable of doing. And believe me it ain't pretty." Michael said.

"Which is?" Shaelynn prompted.

"Well for example his little display at your business was part of his handy work. I would surmise that he has a powerful telekinetic power. Also his ability to teleport in shadows is not his own. It seems that he is able to either permanently or for a short period of time steal another Esper's abilities. I would also surmise that this is how he got his ability to teleport in shadows."

"Well if that is the case Michael, how can we stop him?" Shaelynn asked.

"There is only one way that I can think of." Michael began.

"And that is?" Sylia prompted.

"Eliminate him." Michael said.

"Can't you do it?" Nene asked.

"I am sorry Ms. Romanova I am unable to take a human life or allow a human to be hurt by my action or inaction." Michael said.

"Wow." Nene said. "Where did you dig him up? You know if Genom knew that you had this they would want it very bad."

"Well Nene now you know why Genom wants me killed. It is because of Michael here, and he is the life's work of Dr. Emmett Benton and Dr. Katsuhiko Stingray finally realized by me and my staff at Com-Tech." Shaelynn said with some pride to his voice.

"My Father worked on that?" Sylia asked in shock. "I had no idea that there was more to my Father's work."

"It was a joint project between your father and mine. It seemed that for a while your father worked at Com-Tech up until Genom offered him a bigger paycheck." Shaelynn said after a moments pause. "Uiz Labs was a subsidiary of Genom and well my father was sad to see such a brilliant man like your father leave. There was one other project that they both worked on before he quit."

"What was that?" Sylia asked.

"My Hard Suit was their final project that they worked on." Shaelynn said cautiously.

"So you are the 'Blue Knight' after all." Linna said. "I was wondering as to why there are holes in my memories though."

"Well now I will lift those blocks that I placed on your memories." Shaelynn said as he focused on Linna and Nene. Inside their minds Shaelynn released the memories of him telling them about who he was.

"Why in the hell did you block our memories of you being him?" Linna fumed.

"Because of problem number two that has cropped up." Shaelynn said.

"Why is it that as soon as we all first met you all of the things start to happen to us?" Nene asked.

"The problems were already there to begin with. I was just here to help you all get prepared for them." Shaelynn said. "I am no god. I can't bring back Mackie or Priss or for that matter Tommy. As much as I would like to, I can't."

"So who or what is this other problem that has cropped up?" Linna asked.

"An Esper known only as The Hacker." Shaelynn said with a shudder. As he looked at Sylia he saw that she was very nervous as well. Sending some reassurance along the link between them, she calmed down considerably.

"The Hacker?" Nene asked.

"Yes that is what he calls himself." Shaelynn said.

"I have heard of him once." Nene said. "I believe that he is supposed to be this super computer hacker. It is believed that no one has caught him."

"Correct on that assumption Ms. Romanova." Michael said. "From what I have recorded he already knows the identity of Ms. Stingray from when he had her brother in captivity. If he is an Esper as Shaelynn says he his, then I wouldn't be surprised if he knows who the rest of you are as well."

"I see so who do we deal with first?" Linna asked.

"That is entirely up to you three."Shaelynn said. "I am only here to tell you what I know."

"What? You are going to leave us to our own devices?" Linna asked in an outrage?"

"So you are not helping us?" Nene asked. "You know that it takes a unanimous vote to do anything here."

"Nene if you are inferring that I am one of the Knight Sabers then forget it. As I said before those rules apply to you three and you three alone. There is no way that I would even consider joining. Besides there are some things that I have to do that couldn't be done within the constraints of your rules. Don't worry I will keep your identities a secret. Not even Genom has an Esper that can breach my mental shields." Shaelynn said with a bit of contempt in his voice. He was hoping that none of them would not even ask him to join.

"Why won't you join?" Linna asked. "We can use your help. Besides with Priss gone there is no one to pick up the slack."

"Well after what happened early this morning between us really makes me not want to trust you all that much as far as joining is concerned. I am sorry but you three are on your own on this one." Shaelynn remarked acidly. "Oh Sylia I brought the data unit that you wanted to look at. All of the information about yours and my father's work is on there with the exception of two projects."

"Which two are they?" Sylia asked.

"My suit and Michael." Shaelynn said. "They were in its entirety absorbed into Michael's mainframe and I committed all of them to memory." Shaelynn said as he handed her the data unit and collected Michael off of her table.

"I am so sorry." Shaelynn then said as he teleported out of the room.

"What happened last night Sylia?" Linna asked after Shaelynn had left.

"Well when he caught the man that killed Priss we had no idea that the man that he had caught was a killer. We released him and he ran off. Needless to say Shaelynn was not at all happy with us." Sylia said.

"What else happened?" Linna asked.

"Well that was all that happened." Sylia said.

"Sylia you are hiding something aren't you?" Linna asked.

"Ok fine." Sylia said exasperated. "He said that it wasn't over between us and then later he came back to finish it. Now he didn't say that he wanted to kill us, he was just so upset that he thought we had betrayed him and also because he was acting out of pure revenge for Priss' death."

"He was going to kill us?!" Linna yelled. "And you wanted him to join us? I can't believe that you could be so stupid!"

"Linna calm down." Nene said. "From what I have seen of him I don't think that he would harm any of us."

"He probably put that suggestion in your mind to make him out to be innocent." Linna snapped. "Who's to say that he wouldn't murder all of us in our sleep?"

"Linna now that is being very unfair of you." Sylia said. "The fact of the matter still remain that we have two Espers after us. Priss' brother and The Hacker."

"You mean three." Linna spat. "The third is Shaelynn. We should deal with him first. He is a security risk and can't be trusted."

"Linna, what do you have against him?" Sylia asked.

"It is not him it is all Espers." Linna said choking back tears. "I hate them all after . . . after . . ." Linna could not finish because the sadness crept back into her and she just let out all of the grief that was wanting to get out.

Sylia wrapped an arm around her and tried to comfort her as best as she could.

"Linna, listen to me. If Shaelynn wasn't an Esper then how would he have been able to save you from getting crushed?" Sylia said.

"I don't know. Maybe he couldn't." Linna sobbed.

"Listen to me I don't know what happened that makes you hate Espers so bad, but please realize that not all Espers are bad. Shaelynn is a prime example of an Esper that has full control of his powers and from what I have seen, feels that his powers are a curse." Sylia said. "Give him a chance. He may even prove you wrong. Plus he saved us at his company earlier and you said nothing then."

"Yeah you are right." Linna said as she stopped crying. "I will try to give him a chance."

"So which should we deal with first?" Sylia asked.

"Well I say that we deal with The Hacker. I mean he doesn't seem to be that powerful." Nene said.

"I agree let's deal with The Hacker." Linna said. "Let 'Wonder Boy' deal with Priss' brother."

"Linna, enough of that. I tend to agree that we should deal with The Hacker first that way we will not have to worry about him. As far as Akira goes I think that we should have Shaelynn help us with him." Sylia said

"If you say so Sylia." Linna said.

"I am all for it." Nene said.

"Now the question is how in the world do we find him?" Linna asked.

"Well we can let him find us. Or we can go looking for him." Sylia suggested.

"So what should we do once we find him?" Nene asked.

"We could kill him?" Linna suggested.

"Linna!" Sylia said tartly.

"Well?" Linna shrugged. "It was a thought. I mean he could easily kill us all. I am just being cautious that is all."

"Well that remains to be seen." Sylia said. "Now about The Hacker? What should we do about him?"

"I say that we look for him." Nene suggested. "I mean it is better than him finding us."

"Yes we should find him." Linna said. "I agree with Nene."

"Alright let's suit up and spread out to look for him. However, if you see him don't engage him until all of get there." Sylia said after much thought. "I don't want to have to bury another friend as well."

"We understand Sylia." Linna said. "Now let's go."

"Alright." Sylia said, and with that they suited up and headed off to look for The Hacker.

******

Shaelynn was not in one of his better moods. Yet once more he got impressions of hostility and hatred from Linna directed toward him. He had no idea that she hated him so much. It puzzled him that she hated him so much. Right now he had to put that out of his mind because of the fact that not only did he have to worry about The Hacker but also the escaped sociopath that killed Priss. Not to mention the fact that there was also Priss' older brother to deal with as well. This time he was not going to hold back. He would kill that murderer this time. He figured that if he did not do anything about him now then Priss' older brother would make sure that he was dead.

Shaelynn considered going after Priss' brother and leaving The Hacker to the Knight Sabers. However, there was one problem with that line of thinking. Shaelynn knew that he was not strong enough to take on Akira by himself. He needed help in order to beat him. Right now what he needed to do was deal with the problem at hand which was The Hacker.

"I know I should help them but if I do then I will be compromising my values." Shaelynn said with a resigned sigh. "They can handle The Hacker by themselves."

"But you know that if you don't help then your girlfriend will die." Michael said. "I know that you could never forgive yourself if that happened."

"Michael, you sure know how read me." Shaelynn said with a shake of his head. "You are quite right in that regards. I have to help them out. I must do it."

"Will you need anything special for your suit?" Michael asked.

"No nothing special this time." Shaelynn said as he got his things ready to go over to the shop.

Teleporting over to the shop was the easy part. Getting the suit ready to go was another matter all together. This time he was not going to make the same mistake as before. Removing the dagger only gauntlets, Shaelynn added instead a set of gauntlets that had what looked like bombs that would drop over the knuckles of the gauntlet. Shaelynn then increased the overall power from the power plant in his suit to be able to power the bombs and, if necessary, the daggers as well.

"I hope that you plan to use the new settings for all of the programs on your suit?" Michael asked as Shaelynn finished modifying his suit.

"Whoops." Shaelynn said with a slight laugh. "I totally forgot about that."

"What ever would you do without me?" Michael asked. "On second thought don't answer that."

"Why do you ask that?" Shaelynn asked.

"Well because it seems that The Hacker has some how acquired your suit design." Michael said.

"Ouch, that's bad," Shaelynn said wincing. "What else does he have?"

"I am inclined to say that if he has your suit then there is a very large chance that he will have at least three boomers with him." Michael said.

"Good point and I was planning to use the new power boosts in my suit." Shaelynn said as he went looking for a soda. "Besides If I didn't use the new boosts I wouldn't be on an even footing with him now would I?"

"Well if it is any consolation, The Hacker's suit is currently your suit's level right now." Michael said. "Plus even if you do add the new programs to your suit I still recommend that you use setting two on your suit anyway. That way you can out maneuver him if you need to."

"Michael I was planning on that anyway." Shaelynn said as he grabbed the disk from the bag that he brought with him. As soon as he added the disk to his suit the final preparations were made. "Michael, I need you to monitor the progress of the new programs and then tell me where it needs to be adjusted."

"I understand." Michael said. "Besides, I was hoping that you wouldn't have to use the extra setting on your suit."

"Well I might need your scanning capabilities on this run." Shaelynn said as he finished the modifications on his suit.

"Sure not a problem," Michael said. "I was wondering if you will be careful."

"I am always careful." Shaelynn said with some indignation. "What makes you think that I won't be?"

"Well the fact that your girlfriend is out there." Michael said. "Now don't get me wrong I could tell that you are really in love with her. I just don't want you to start thinking with your heart in this matter. That could be dangerous."

"I know Michael." Shaelynn said. "I am aware of that. Why in the world do you think that I am not going to join the Knight Sabers in the first place?"

"I have no clue about that." Michael said. "But if it is any consolation for you Priss specifically asked Sylia to have you take her place."

"What?" Shaelynn asked in shock. "Priss wanted me to take her place in the Knight Sabers? Michael I can't. For that matter I won't. You know the kinds of things that I do. There is no way I can join them and still do what I do."

"Why can't you take her place?" Michael asked.

"Michael you said it yourself I would be thinking with my heart instead of my head." Shaelynn said. "Besides joining them would cause them to ask questions that I don't want to answer. Also their rules are too confining for my taste."

"Well you better get out there and help them." Michael said.

"I am going." Shaelynn said as he pulled on his modified suit and headed off to find the three remaining Knight Sabers.

******

The Knight Sabers were having a very hard time dealing with the four Boomers that they ran across as soon as they found The Hacker. All attempts by Nene to scramble their circuits ended in failure. Sylia was about to accept defeat, until she saw a familiar looking hardsuit. As it landed she could see that the arms had been modified to add bombs to the hands. Overall the suit was unchanged. The way it landed showed off the grace and agility that it had. Yet there was a dangerous edge to it now. Sylia wondered if the person inside it was any different.

"Shaelynn is that you?" Sylia asked over the suit's internal communication channel.

"Who else would it be?" Shaelynn asked. "I couldn't let you three face him alone. My conscious wouldn't let me."

"That's good." Sylia said.

"Sylia I am reading an energy spike coming from his suit." Nene said as she pointed to Shaelynn's suit.

"Saber Pink, that is because I have just added the new boosters to my suit's programs and I am running on setting two." Shaelynn said coldly. "Now let's deal with these boomers and then we can deal with The Hacker."

"Good idea." Linna said.

As soon as Shaelynn teamed up with them again the boomers decided to attack them instead. The four boomers were fast. There was no way to out maneuver them. Plus none of the Knight Saber's suits could withstand the punishment that the Boomers could deal out. Not even Shaelynn's suit could last for very long under that much punishment. There had to be a way to out think them. Suddenly, an idea donned on Shaelynn. It seemed that the Boomers were keyed to specific individual Suits and their fighting style.

"Sylia we need to switch Boomers." Shaelynn said as he caught his breath.

"Why?" Sylia asked.

"Well each boomer is keyed to our suit's powers and our fighting style. So if we switch targets then we should be able to take them out quite easily." Shaelynn said.

"Ok let's do it." Linna said as her and Nene switched boomer targets. To their surprise the boomers were destroyed quite easily.

When Sylia and Shaelynn switched the boomer that Shaelynn was dealing with was destroyed quite easily. However, the one that Sylia was attacking had some how managed to adapt to Shaelynn's attacks and knocked him halfway across the roof. Shaelynn was shaken but unhurt. By the looks of things this was not fairing well for the Knight Sabers. It took Linna and Nene to destroy the final boomer. The only person left standing on the roof besides the Knight Sabers were The Hacker and Shaelynn.

"Michael what is the scoop on his suit?" Shaelynn asked Michael as he pulled himself up off the ground. He still had not gotten used to fighting in a hardsuit. This was only the tenth time that he had used it. Yet it was only the third time where it was not damaged beyond recognition. "I want to know everything about it. And I mean everything."

"Well his suit is at the same level yours was before you upgraded it." Michael said. "Thing is it seems to have a device in it to where if he is rendered unconscious or dead the suit will continue on its last orders which I believe is to kill the Knight Sabers and you."

"Oh hell! That moron has a J-1 auto control in that suit?" Shaelynn asked in near terror.

"'fraid so." Michael said. "But at least he doesn't have a micro-neutron bomb in that suit."

"Michael don't you scare me like that." Shaelynn said. Any suggestions?"

"Yeah disable the J-1 first and then eliminate him." Michael said.

"Thanks." Shaelynn said. "Sylia, I have some good news and some really bad news."

"What is the bad news?" Sylia asked.

"Well the bad news is this." Shaelynn began. "That suit has an auto control in it."

"You mean like the J-1 auto control that was in the D.D. airborne battle mover?" Sylia asked.

"Exactly like that." Shaelynn said. "Yet this one is nasty." Shaelynn said.

"How nasty is it?" Sylia asked.

"Let's just say that if we kill him before we disable it, the auto control will carry out its last orders. Apparently those were to kill you three and then hunt me down and kill me as well." Shane said.

"So what's the good news?" Nene asked.

"No micro-neutron bomb in it though." Shaelynn said.

"That is good." Nene said. "So why did you decide to help us?"

"Saber Pink, let's just say that I didn't want to have anything happen to my three remaining friends." Shaelynn said. "Now let's get rid of him."

Between the four of them they managed to confuse The Hacker's sensors enough to allow Sylia to get in a very good blow with her Laser swords.

"He he. Very lucky shot Sylia Stingray." The Hacker said with a smirk. "You have managed to injure me."

"How do you know who I am?" Sylia asked acidly.

"Oh come now, surely you were told that I was the one that kidnaped your brother." The Hacker said. "I found out all about you and your little organization from him."

"You animal." Sylia said as she was about to charge at him. She was restrained by Shaelynn.

"Sylia don't." Shaelynn said.

"Let me go." Sylia said. "He needs to die for what he did."

"You are being irrational." Shaelynn started. "He wants to get you upset so you will make a mistake. When you do he will have you right where he wants you."

"But." Sylia started.

"No buts. If you let anger get to you then you will not be able to focus." Shaelynn said with a steely edge to his voice. "Trust me on this one."

"Oh mister Blue Knight." The Hacker said. "Or should I say the shop owner that found my prisoner."

"What do you want?" Shaelynn said. His voice was as devoid of emotions as anyone could get. It was enough to send chills down Sylia's spine.

"Well since I will not have to go very far to kill you then I will say this." The Hacker said. "Once I kill you then I will allow Mister Michaels to pursue your sister."

"If so much as one hair is harmed on her head I will make sure that you die a thousand deaths." Shaelynn said coldly.

"You don't seem to understand at all." The Hacker said. "My boss has already won. All I have to do is kill you and that is it."

"And who might your boss be?" Shaelynn asked coldly.

"Since you will be dead then I will tell you." The Hacker said haughtily. "His name is Daniel Dumas. Executive Vice President to the President of Genom in Paris."

"So is that supposed to impress me or something?" Shaelynn said icily. "Because if it was I am not at all impressed."

Shaelynn then decides to charge The Hacker. He knew that the only way that he can eliminate him is to destroy the J-1 auto control system. Dropping the contact bombs over his hands, Shaelynn decided to confuse his opponent. Instead of attacking him from the front, Shaelynn teleported behind The Hacker and drove the contact point bombs into the area that housed the computer. The Hacker stumbled and pitched forward landing on his front. There was thick black smoke rolling off of his back. Reappearing beside the others, Shaelynn was winded none to say the least.

"Well I took out the J-1." Shaelynn said. "I hope."

"What do you mean you hope?" Linna asked.

"Let's just say that I hope where I hit him destroyed it." Shaelynn said while catching his breath.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Nene said as she pointed to the suit that was getting up off the ground.

"OH SHIT!!!" Shaelynn swore. "This is not good. Not good at all."

"What?" Sylia asked.

"That suit has gone on full auto mode now." Shaelynn said. "If we don't stop it now then we are all gonna die."

With that the three remaining Knight Sabers and Shaelynn attempted to stop the now automated suit. Either The Hacker was out cold or was dead one of the two. As they attacked it, Shaelynn was taking the brunt of most of the attacks. The suit was mostly using its fists to try to pummel Shaelynn but with little to no effect. When it started to use its blade cannons then Shaelynn got worried. He had taken one blade in the upper right arm before he decided to get out of the way.

"Damn this thing is getting deadly." Shaelynn said as he backed up. Pulling out that blade was not going to be easy. When he did, Shaelynn yelped in pain. A small trickle of blood ran out of the slice in the armor.

"Can it get any worse?" Sylia asked.

Almost as if it was waiting for her to say something, the suit opened up the two microwave lasers and aimed them for the roof of the building. There was no place to run. Only two suits had the ability to fly. Sylia and Shaelynn's. They could have grabbed the other two, but there was not enough time to do that. When the roof came down large chunks were falling on everyone. Shaelynn tried to deflect as many pieces of roof top that he could with his telekinetic talent. There were too many pieces to try to deflect. Those that he deflected fell harmlessly around them. However, there were those pieces that he was unable to deflect. Those were the ones that landed on all of them. As soon as the smoke cleared everyone was pinned under pieces of debris.

"Hey who all is still alive or conscious for that matter?" Shaelynn asked.

"I am." Linna said. "What was the purpose of that?"

"Me too." Nene said. "Where's Sylia?"

"Sylia?" Shaelynn asked. What he got was silence. "Michael, can you hack into her suit's computer and tell me if she is still alive?"

"Sure thing it will take a few seconds." Michael said. After the longest five seconds that Shaelynn would have to live through Michael responded. "She is alive but barely. The wounds are not critical but if you don't finish that suit off then it will not matter much."

"I understand." Shaelynn said as he pushed the rubble off of his legs. Luckily for him the suit was not damaged. Standing up carefully, Shaelynn knew that he needed to free the others to help him. His first priority was getting Sylia free. She was injured and needed immediate attention. As soon as he freed Sylia, Shaelynn freed the other two. He knew that the automated suit was still up on what was left of the roof. Shaelynn knew that he needed to destroy that suit quickly. He decided to deploy his contact point bombs again and diverted all of the power that he could into them.

"I am going to have to throw my morals out the window for now," Shaelynn said as he gauged the height that he had fallen. "I have to kill him. Although, I am not going to like it one bit."

Shaelynn then decided to be stupid. He then charged the automated suit. He knew that he had to destroy this suit now and be done with it or else all of them would die. He had to be quick about it as well since he did not know how injured Sylia really was.

As he charged the suit this time, he saw that Linna and Nene were with him in his assault. It must have been luck or pure skill because Linna managed to plant both daggers into the suit's torso and fry all of the electrical circuits. Nene had managed to scramble the sensors enough to allow Shaelynn to get close enough to destroy the suit and kill its wearer with his contact bombs.

******

As soon as the job was finished, Shaelynn gently picked up Sylia and carried her back to the Knightwing. He then pulled off her helmet very carefully and set it aside. Pulling off his helmet as well, Shaelynn then checked to see if she was still alive. Thankfully she was. There was just one problem though. None of them knew how to pilot the plane.

"Is there any way that we can get the Knightwing back to Sylia's place?" Shaelynn asked.

"L-let me do it." Sylia said weakly.

"No Sylia!" Shaelynn said and gently restrained her. "You have been injured. Someone else should."

"Then you do it." Sylia said as she weakly motioned for Shaelynn to lean down.

As he did Sylia then very slowly reached up to him and provided the necessary contact to allow him to get the knowledge that he needed to fly the Knightwing.

As soon as the information was passed to him Sylia went limp. Shaelynn's heart leapt up into his throat. He was worried that her injuries were worse than Michael had said that they were.

"You get us back to Sylia's and we will worry about her." Nene said. She could see that Shaelynn was worried about her.

"Ok I will." Shaelynn said as he went to the cockpit and started the plane up.

The flight to Sylia's place was a quiet one. Shaelynn's mind was running in circles. He was wracked with guilt and anger that he allowed that person to harm the one person that he truly cared about. He kept going over and over the events that happened, trying to find the one thing that he did wrong. The only thing that was spoken was from Shaelynn asking how she was doing. He also asked Michael to hack through Sylia's data to find a hospital that he could take her to that would not ask too many questions. What Michael found was that there was a hospital that they used for such cases. It seemed that Priss was, when she was alive, their regular patient. Landing at Sylia's landing pad and parking the plane Shaelynn then carried her out of the plane and found out how to get her out of her suit. Once out Shaelynn then, with the help of Linna and Nene got her to the hospital.

At the hospital, Shaelynn paced the length of the waiting room. He was waiting for some word on how she was doing. It was three long hours later when the doctor came in. From the look on her face it was a mixture of good news and bad news.

"Mr. Benton?" The doctor asked.

"That would be me." Shaelynn said.

"I am Doctor Mizuno." She said. "I will say this much she is a very lucky woman."

"How is she?" Shaelynn asked, his voice echoing the concern that was on his face.

"Well let's just say that if you would have brought her in two minutes later she would have been beyond help." Doctor Mizuno said.

"What happened to her?" Linna asked.

"Well aside from the broken ribs and fractured leg, she had some extensive internal bleeding that was stopped." Doctor Mizuno said. "Overall she is very lucky to be alive."

"How long will she be in here?" Shaelynn asked.

"Well she will need to be kept here for at least two weeks for observation and after that then she can go home." Doctor Mizuno said. "But I suggest that someone stay with her to make sure that she is ok."

"Thank you." Shaelynn said with a sigh of relief.

******

Shaelynn returned to his shop to put up his suit and change back into his normal clothes. There was something about his demeanor that could be read as concern. Also by the way that he deliberately moved someone could also read guilt into his demeanor as well. As soon as he pulled his jumpsuit back on, Shaelynn started to leave the shop. Just as he was about to leave, Linna and Nene came in to see him.

"What can I do for you two?" Shaelynn asked.

"What in the world were you trying to pull out there?" Linna fumed.

"Absolutely nothing." Shaelynn said coldly. "I was just trying to make sure that Sylia was alright."

"No you were not." Linna said angrily. "You were trying to save your own skin."

At this point, Shaelynn had put up with enough of her constant harassment. Shaelynn was one for not being quick to anger. In this case however, Shaelynn was at the end of what he would stand for. He had almost lost the one person that he truly cared about. In fact he was in love with her. Yet they did not need to know that detail. Shaelynn also had just killed someone in cold blood. The thought of that act was enough to get him to stop doing what he does. And finally, he find out that his little brother was murdered. And by the one organization that he wants to put out of business.

"Listen Linna, I was not trying to save my own ass and that is the truth." Shaelynn seethed with anger. "I want to know what in the hell I did to you that has gotten you so damned angry at me. And I want to know it now!"

"Shaelynn you don't need to yell." Nene said. "I understand that you were trying to save us all."

"I did not want to see Sylia upset again." Shaelynn said. "I know that it sounds cold and heartless, but it is the truth."

"I still don't see what the point of you showing up to help us was." Linna snapped. "You said yourself that you were not part of us."

"And I am not. Look, if I hadn't saved you on Wednesday then you would have been dead now," Shaelynn growled. "Is that what you really wanted?"

"Um no," Linna said.

"I should hope not," Shaelynn growled. The tools on the work bench were starting to shake. "In the future Linna, if you want my help you will not get it since it seems that you don't really seem to care wether you live or not!"

"Linna, maybe we should leave," Nene said. She saw that some tools were rattling for no apparent reason. She figured it out that it was Shaelynn causing them to rattle. "It looks as if you are getting Shaelynn angry."

"Please do leave Nene." Shaelynn asked. "I need to cool down before I do something stupid."

"Ok we will leave." Nene said and dragged Linna out of the shop.

Once Nene and Linna left the shop Shaelynn was able to calm down. The exchange that he had with Linna was the first time that someone had actually got him angry enough to lose control. Locking up the shop for the night, Shaelynn teleported home. When he arrived at home there was several messages for him on his machine.

"Who in the hell would have the gall to call me at this hour? If it is either Jeff or Keith they can go to hell." Shaelynn snarled as he pushed the rewind button on the answering machine. The first message was creepy

Mr. Benton, It has come to our attention that you have something that we want. We both know what it is that you have and what it does. Now I am sure that we can come to agreeable terms of sale on it. We are, after all business men. I am positive that we can work this out like civilized people.

"Not a fuckin' chance Quincy." Shaelynn snorted. "I will never let you have my father's final project. I am sure that there would be hell to pay if this AI were to be put into a combat boomer. And if you even try to steal it you will find **J.A.W.S.** in your computer system. Who else called?"

The next message put Shaelynn on edge. It was from some one that he had not heard from since he graduated from MIT.

Shaelynn, this is Sean. You probably don't remember me, but we were in Professor Davis' Chemistry class. Anyway the reason why I called was to tell you that there has been some strange things going on over here. I mean strange as in weird strange. I have seen two kids that I could swear were about nine or so display Esper abilities. I am not saying that they are, just it is weird. The act as if they are from the Anime that you got me hooked on. I think it was Dragon Ball Z or something like that. Anyway talk to you later. For that matter call me.

"Sean?" Shaelynn asked in confusion. After a few seconds he remembered who that was. "Ah Sean, you freak, I tried to tell him that Espers were a reality but he didn't listen to me. Well that was because he was sitting behind a very cute woman. I think her name was Amelia Evans. Besides I have seen a kid of about eighteen that could do the same things as those kids did. Who else called me.

The final message was another strange one. This one caused Shaelynn to shiver.

Blue Knight, I have a proposition for you. There are some people that need to be eliminated. I know that you are against killing people, but in this instance you need to. The people that you need to kill is a band of mercenaries know as the Knight Sabers. I realize that you have worked with them in the past, but they are starting to become an annoyance to me and my associates. I will pay you forty-million up front and another forty-million upon completion of the job.

"Like hell I will kill them." Shaelynn spat. "That would mean killing my girlfriend. I won't do it. Not even if he paid me one hundred million up front. If he thinks for one minute I will take that job he can suck it."

"I am glad you have some morals there Shae." a voice said.

Turning around he saw his little sister Natasha standing there looking at him with wide eyes.

"Natasha, what in the name of all that's holy are you doing here?" Shaelynn asked.

"Well Shae, Jessica and Kim were going out of town for a while and I wanted to stay with you. I mean since that man is after me." Natasha said. "What about that job? You aren't going to take it are you?"

"Natasha, there is no way that I will harm the Knight Sabers." Shaelynn said. "I respect them too much."

"I know you do." Natasha said. "But what if the person that asked you to kill them comes after you instead?"

"I will have to deal with him. You know that." Shaelynn said. "Besides I don't think he will come after me directly."

"I see." Natasha said.

"Now you, you little munchkin, off to bed with you." Shaelynn said as he scooted her along.

"_Oyasumi nasai, onii-chan._(Goodnight big brother.) " Natasha said and walked back upstairs to her room.

After his sister went back to her room, Shaelynn started to think about things. He was not happy that he had to babysit his sister for however long Kim and Jessica were to be gone. He was going to tell them exactly how he felt about this entire situation when they got back. It was not going to be nicely either the way that he was going to tell them either.

Looking at the clock, Shaelynn saw that it was getting late. Yawning and then with a flick of a mental wrist, Shaelynn switched off all of the lights in the house and went to sleep.

******

The next morning was anything but quiet. Sirens were wailing outside of his bedroom window. Shaelynn sleepily opened the window and looked out. As he regarded the situation, he saw that there was nine AD Police cruisers outside of his house.

"Ow, is there a reason that there are so many Police officers out here this early?" Shaelynn said as he got dressed.

Walking outside he saw that there was the nine cars and a full tactical response team here as well. Shaelynn was not in the mood to have his mornings disturbed this way. Finding the person that looked like he was in charge, Shaelynn walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Um excuse me, but what in the world are you doing here?" Shaelynn asked.

"We have reason to believe that a very dangerous person is hiding in the area." The head detective said.

"Do you have to be so loud about it though?" Shaelynn asked. "I was asleep and I have a guest that is staying here as well. And for that matter do you have a letter of authorization to be on my property?"

"I am so sorry about that, but we kinda have to be loud." The detective said.

"I see." Shaelynn spat as he walked back into the house. "This is the start of a very bad morning I just know it."

When Shaelynn got back in the house he saw that Natasha was already up and about. Sighing, Shaelynn went upstairs to use the shower and get cleaned up. He had several thing that he had to do this morning. One of which was stop by the hospital to see Sylia. He felt as if this was his fault. The other was talk to some people about their indiscreet ways of sending him some messages. He was half tempted to pull on his suit and walk right into the Chairman of Genom's office and tell him what he thought about him and his company. That idea was quickly shot down because of the fact that Quincy was never really in his office at all. It was usually a robot duplicate. On top of which he would be killed before he even got that far.

"Shae, what do you want for breakfast?" Natasha asked.

Shaelynn deciding to be a strange for a change answered, "Well food would be nice."

"Shae!" Natasha squealed in indignation. "You stop that. I know that you want food, but seriously what do you want to eat?"

"My usual." Shaelynn said as he came down the stairs.

"Well that seems to be a glass of orange juice and a piece of dry toast." Natasha said with a rueful grin.

"Not even funny." Shaelynn said. "My usual in a blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee."

"Sorry Shae." Natasha said. "I had no clue. How long have you been eating that for breakfast?"

"It is alright sis. I have been eating that since you were a year old." Shaelynn said. "Now can I trust you to keep out of trouble while I am out?"

"Of course I will stay out of trouble." Natasha said as she sipped her orange juice.

"That's good." Shaelynn said. "Now I will be back later today. Please stay at home if at all possible."

"Or could I just go with you?" Natasha asked. "Please?"

"All right you can come with me." Shaelynn said with a sigh. He knew if he did not agree then Natasha would use her cute and innocent look. That look alone was enough to drive him up the wall. "I am going out on my motorcycle so dress accordingly."

"Thanks Shae!" Natasha said as she ran back upstairs to change.

'_Yup today is going to be bad I just know it._' Shaelynn thought with a noncommittal sigh.

When Natasha came back down, Shaelynn saw that she was dressed in an outfit that was appropriate for riding a motorcycle. The outfit was a pair of jeans and a heavy denim jacket. She was wearing a t-shirt under the jacket that said "Dragon Ball Z on the front. On the back it had a picture of several of the characters from late in the series. She had managed to raid his shirt drawer yet again. Shaelynn did not mind at all.

"Ok Shae, let's go." Natasha said.

"Where's your helmet?" Shaelynn asked.

"I don't like to wear one." Natasha said.

"Then you aren't going with me then." Shaelynn said as he started to walk out of the house.

"Wait Shae, I'll get it." Natasha said. She then went to the closet and pulled out her helmet. "Ok now let's go."

"Ok now you better hold on tight." Shaelynn said as he got on. "I drive fast."

"So." Natasha said and then wrapped her arms around Shaelynn's waist and held on tightly.

Shaelynn decided to drive the speed limit that morning. It was no wonder that Natasha was getting upset.

"Can't this crate go any faster?" Natasha asked in indignation.

"Ok if you want me to." Shaelynn said and then gunned the engine. Natasha squealed with glee as she felt the wind whip by her face.

This was the first time that she had ever had so much fun in her entire life. Natasha knew that Shaelynn was the only one of her siblings that would ever be nice to her. She knew that Jessica was nice to her at times same with Jeff, Keith, and Kim. Tommy was older than her by about three minutes so she and him were close. It appeared to her that Shaelynn cared more about her and Tommy than their other siblings. Today it showed the most. In fact she always enjoyed being with Shaelynn.

When Shaelynn stopped at a light, Natasha knew that they were almost to where their first stop would be. She saw that Shaelynn was driving slowly looking for a parking space. As soon as they stopped, Natasha saw that the place that they were at was a hospital.

"Is there some one here that you need to see?" Natasha asked.

"My girlfriend was in a bad accident last night and I have to see her." Shaelynn said. He was only half-lying to her, but if he was to tell her the truth then she would question his choice of friends.

"I see well I will wait in the waiting room for you." Natasha said.

"Thanks sis." Shaelynn said.

"Anything for you Shae." Natasha said with a smile.

******

As Shaelynn walked down the hall to Sylia's room, he wondered if he should tell her all about himself. He had told her that he was an Esper, yet some how Shaelynn was of the opinion that she wanted to know more about him. Finally finding her room, Shaelynn walked in and sat down beside her bed. She was still unconscious, so he would only stay for a little while. As he looked at her lying there, Shaelynn nearly started to cry.

"Sylia, I am sorry that I let this happen to you." Shaelynn said. "If I had only been faster or knew what was going to happen, then maybe it would be me here instead of you."

'_You couldn't know what would have happened._' came a voice in his mind that was distinctly female. '_Don't blame yourself for what happened. I don't think that she would want that._'

'_Who are you?_' Shaelynn asked.

'_We met briefly at the AD Police Headquarters._' The voice said.

'_Where are you?_' Shaelynn asked. '_You sound close._'

'_I am outside of your girlfriend's room._' The voice said.

At that, Shaelynn walked out of the room and into the hall. When he got out in the hall, he saw the same person that talked to him a few nights ago.

"So we meet again Gwen." Shaelynn said. "Why are you here?"

"I want to talk to you about what happened on Monday night." Gwen said.

"Nothing happened Monday night except that I was nearly killed by a boomer and was rescued by the Knight Sabers." Shaelynn said.

"No there is more to it than that." Gwen said.

"Gwen, tell you what, how about you come by my place and we can talk about what happened?" Shaelynn asked. "Besides, I need to spend some time here with Sylia."

"I understand." Gwen said. "I hope she gets better soon."

"She should." Shaelynn said.

"Hang in there Shaelynn." Gwen said as she left.

Walking back into the room, Shaelynn saw that Sylia was partially awake.

"Sylia, you're awake!" Shaelynn said.

"What happened to me?" Sylia asked weakly.

"Sylia, you were injured by the fall that we took yesterday." Shaelynn said. "You broke your leg and some ribs."

"That's all?" Sylia asked.

"You had some internal bleeding as well. Thankfully they were not that serious." Shaelynn said as he took her hand. "You will be in here for two weeks. After that you can go home. I am going to stay with you just to be sure that you will be fine."

"I will be fine." Sylia said.

"It was Dr. Mizuno's orders." Shaelynn said. "Besides, I love you too much to lose you."

"Do you really mean that?" Sylia asked. Her eyes were starting to tear up.

"Sylia, I am serious about that." Shaelynn said as he wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I know you don't." Sylia said.

"It was my stupidity that got you injured." Shaelynn said.

"No, Shaelynn. It was not your fault." Sylia said. "I should have moved faster."

"That could have been the case." Shaelynn said.

"I feel the same about you as well." Sylia said as she pulled Shaelynn's face down to hers. With that she then leaned up and kissed him.

"That was for the time you never let me return one to you." Sylia said when they parted.

"Sylia, I need to go." Shaelynn said. "My sister is waiting for me in the waiting room."

"Ok, you go ahead and go." Sylia said.

"I will be back tomorrow." Shaelynn said.

"See you then." Sylia said.

With that Shaelynn walked back to the waiting room and then he and his sister finished the errands for the day. As they were leaving, Shaelynn saw a Tokyo Police officer walk in the room. Shaelynn saw that the officer went to Dr. Mizuno and told her something. From her reaction, Shaelynn was able to figure out that something happened to someone that she was close to. Once again he broke one of his standing rules and scanned her mind to find out what was the matter. It turned out that her daughter Ami was found murdered in her home. As soon as Shaelynn pulled out, he and his sister left the hospital quickly. Shaelynn and Natasha had several places to go in order to finish everything.

Two weeks later, Date: Friday September 29, 2034

A cool breeze swept through the cemetery that afternoon. It was getting chilly early that year. Standing around three freshly filled graves were fourteen people that were bidding farewell to the people that were buried there. Four of which were apart of the Replicants. All of them were there to bid farewell to their band mate and friend Priss. After paying their tearful respects they left. The remaining ten were there longer. All of them were trying to find solace in the memories of those that had died.

One of the people was affected the hardest by it. It seemed that the grief that was put aside for a time was remembered again and she began to cry. A man could be seen to comfort her. Then one by one they all left. Only two people remained. The man and the woman that was in his arms.

"Shaelynn, will this cycle of death ever end?" Sylia asked.

"Only when we find who it was that sent The Hacker and stop him." Shaelynn said as he hugged her tightly. "That seems to be the only way."

"I know." Sylia said as she returned the hug.

Looking around, Shaelynn sensed someone that he could swear that he would not want to see right now.

"Sylia would you please go now? I will catch up to you in a minute." Shaelynn asked.

"Ok. But don't take too long." Sylia said as she kissed him on the cheek.

As soon as she left, Shaelynn waited for the person to appear.

"Come on out Akira, I know that you are there." Shaelynn said.

"So you knew it was me after all?" Akira asked.

"Yes I knew that it was you." Shaelynn said not turning around. "You must realize that I was never your sister's bodyguard to begin with."

"It doesn't matter. I will kill you. But not now." Akira said.

"What must I do to prove it to you?" Shaelynn asked.

"Nothing. If you would have protected her then she would not have died." Akira fumed.

"I am no god." Shaelynn said. "My brother was killed as well. Now I ask you what makes you think that I could protect her? I warned her to be careful and she did not take my advice."

"Still that makes no difference. Plus the Knight Sabers will still die because of it." Akira growled.

"I tried to be reasonable with you and you refused." Shaelynn said. "So I must tell you this. If you harm any of them then I will be forced to kill you as well."

Getting no reply, Shaelynn turned around to see that Akira was gone. Shrugging, Shaelynn then laid a red rose on Priss' grave.

"Rest in peace Mackie, Priss and Tommy." Shaelynn said as he wiped away a tear. "May your souls find peace in the afterlife."

With that Shaelynn then walked back to the cars and on to his waiting life that he had ahead of him.

The End For now.

Any and all comments can be directed to .

Constructive comments will be listened to. non constructive Flames will be given to the Lord High Master EnmaDaiou for burning.

**Page****2**


	2. Chapter 2

BGC Presents: Bubble Gum Explosion: Episode #2: Night of Terror Part 1

Date: Tuesday, January 2, 2035

Last year was rough on everyone. Not only were there the typical boomer rampages, but with the current outbreak of crimes that were committed by normal people, the AD Police and the Normal Police were swamped. Nene was content to know that with the Knight Sabers back up to full strength once again there would be a drop in the rampaging boomers. Or so she hoped. Something about having Shaelynn as a member of the Knight Sabers did not sit well with her. It also did not sit too well with Linna as well. She did not know what it was, but what she did know was that Shaelynn's problems with Linna would eventually cause a rift to form in the Knight Sabers. That was something that she knew could not be allowed to happen. In fact Nene believed that Sylia was trying to prevent that from happening as well.

She remembered how much that they had to do in order to convince Shaelynn that he would be valuable help. It was not an easy task, because Shaelynn found fault with every single rule of the Knight Sabers. How in the world could one person be so picky and yet so nice all at the same time she will never know. Especially the one that stated no solo actions. Nene could tell that Shaelynn was not the type of person that would let rules bog him down. Nene had no idea what was said, but she could tell that Sylia had said something to him that made him agree. If she only knew what was up between the two of them. For that matter why was he being so secretive with all of them in the first place. She wondered if he really trusted them at all.

Linna was still not happy with the fact that they would be working with an Esper. It was common knowledge between Sylia, Linna and her that Shaelynn was an Esper and he wanted it to stay that way for some time to come. What bugged her the most was the fact that Linna hated Espers so much. Nene still wanted to know what it was about Espers that Linna hated so much. On top of which Nene knew that Shaelynn was still not being as truthful as he could be. She was of the opinion that he was still hiding something from them. The only question being was what was he hiding and why?

Letting out a long sigh, Nene waited until her shift was over and then she would be able to meet Shaelynn for some dessert. He had promised her that if she was able to get better in physical combat then he would treat her to six weeks of desserts. That was when he had the time. She knew that his time was divided between his shop and Com-Tech. Plus with the way that Sylia was acting lately it was beginning to become obvious to her and Linna that she was starting to become emotionally involved with Shaelynn. Nene was curious as to what was said that caused such a change in their leader. She wondered if Shaelynn said something right.

It showed back in September of last year when Sylia was nearly killed by The Hacker. Shaelynn had stayed by her side until she was able to do things for herself. Nene thought that was very sweet of him. It was the first time that she saw a gentle side to Shaelynn. She wondered if the rumors that she heard about him were true. Nene thought that Shaelynn was another Priss. After she saw his gentle side, she knew different. It also laid to rest the suspicions that he was more than human. Of course Nene had her doubts about that all together. She wondered how the rule of not getting involved with a man would apply to their first non female member. As she thought about it, she came to the conclusion that Sylia probably never intended to have any male members in the first place.

Looking at the clock, Nene saw that it was now time for her to be off work. Walking over to the time clock, Nene wondered if today would be quiet, or if it would be a busy day as usual. Shrugging, Nene clocked out and waited for Shaelynn to pick her up. Since her scooter was in the shop Shaelynn had offered to take her to and from work.

******

Shaelynn woke up, as usual, half wrapped up in the covers of his bed. He could swear that this was a conspiracy to never allow him to get a good nights sleep. Pulling himself out of the tangle of sheets and quilts, Shaelynn wanders to his bathroom to wake up. Finishing his shower, Shaelynn got dressed and decided what he was going to do that day. He finally decided on going to his shop to work on several of his custom jobs that he had taken on in the past three months. On top of which he had to take Nene to work. She had wrecked her scooter last month and he was working on it as well. It still amazed him how she was able to wreck it the way that she did.

By around three in the afternoon, Shaelynn saw that it was time to treat Nene to her dessert for today. It was a part of his bargain that he made with her. However, he also told her that she also needed to exercise off all of the sweets as well. Wether or not she listened to him was another story all together. Frankly he did not care one way or the other. It was her life and if she wanted to ruin it then it was none of his concern. Closing the shop early that day, Shaelynn then went to pick up Nene and then they went to the malt shop that they agreed on when she fulfilled her end of the bargain that they made. It amazed him that one woman could put away so much dessert and then still be able to fit into a form-fitting suit of power armor. Then again so could he and he would not even gain a pound.

"So Nene, how was work," Shaelynn asked.

"Long and tiresome," Nene said as she sipped on her chocolate shake. "You know I've been meaning to ask you about Sylia."

"What about her," Shaelynn asked. He was over sensitive about her since she was nearly killed on one of their missions at the end of 2034. Since then he was edgy about every mission since then.

"Well what I wanted to ask you if you two were a couple or not," Nene asked.

"Well yeah we are," Shaelynn said as he took too large of a bite of his banana split. Shaelynn got an ice-cream headache and it made Nene giggle. "Why do you ask?"

"Well Sylia has been avoiding my question constantly. So I thought I would ask you instead," Nene said.

"Well Nene we have been together for some time. Our relationship is kinda awkward at best. I mean I have never had a girlfriend at all and well this is Sylia's first relationship as well."

"Then you don't know about him then?"

"Who?"

"Well there was this guy that she was friends with in highschool. Let's just say that she wanted to be even closer to him but always kept her distance due to the fact that she wanted to remain focused on school. Plus what I found out about him was that he was kinda of quiet and shy. You could almost say that he was cold to everyone. Nobody knew why he was that way. He could of had anyone but chose either not to, or did not have anyone that was interested in him."

"How did you find this out?"

"I asked your computer to help me out."

"Nene I am shocked," Shaelynn said. "You asked Michael to help you? The person that you were talking about was me. She told me this just recently. Yes I was shy and not for those reasons. I was not cold, just trying to be friendly, but with what I am it is kinda hard to be friends with anyone. You should know the reasons why I could never get close to anyone?"

"No I don't know why."

"Well Nene it has to do with my powers and the fact that I was ridiculed by people for having them."

"Oh, I see." Nene said feeling very guilty.

"Nene, there is a reason that we haven't said anything yet. The reason is because we are trying to keep our relationship personal and that is it," Shaelynn said. "Please don't tell Linna. Ok? Besides I don't want to be thinking with my heart on another job."

"I won't," Nene said. "Besides we have to be at Sylia's in a few hours anyway. She says that it is time for us to upgrade our suits."

"Let's discuss this in the car," Shaelynn said as he indicated the two new people that had just entered the building. One was about Shaelynn's height and was built like a tank. The other person was a woman that so beautiful that every person in the building stopped and stared at her. Both male and female customers were finding it hard not to stare at her. Shaelynn could tell that she was a 33-S. She moved with too much grace to be anything other than a 33-S. Then again he could be wrong about that as well. He had only seen one normal human that moved with that amount of grace. That person was his mother. The man with her on the other hand was a mystery to him. He wondered if he was a very cleverly disguised boomer or not. He knew that if he had to defend himself against him there would be no way that he could without displaying his powers.

Getting in the car, Shaelynn could swear that they both turned and watched him. Not giving it much thought at the moment, Shaelynn drove off to Sylia's place. On the way over Shaelynn decided to continue the conversation with Nene.

"Now why does Sylia want to upgrade now," Shaelynn asked.

"Well this is the regular time that Sylia upgrades the suits," Nene said. "Besides I am sure that your suit could use an overhaul."

"Nene, I just updated my suit's programs last week."

"You know that Sylia will be upset with you!" Nene said as she playfully jabbed him in the ribs. "If she found out then I pity you. She could cut you off."

Shaelynn winced in pain at Nene's comment. He also squirmed just a little bit in the seat.

"Not funny Nene," Shaelynn said as he glared at her. "I really don't appreciate that type of a remark."

"Sorry about that," Nene said. "But you know that she will be upset with you."

"I am aware of that and quite frankly I am not concerned," Shaelynn said with an icy edge to his voice. "If she want to complain about it then she can take it up with me personally."

With that the rest of the trip was made in silence. Nene was wondering why Shaelynn was being defensive. Perhaps there were some things going on that she did not know about. Nene knew that Shaelynn was not the type of person to share what he was feeling. In doing that he reminded her so much of Priss it was not funny. Some times it was scary how he would be so cold to people. It made Nene shiver a bit to think about it.

'_Then again, the rumors about him might be true after all,_' Nene thought.

She only wished that he was seeing her instead of Sylia since she could have been able to get him to open up more. Maybe she was kidding herself or maybe she was just being honest with herself when she decided that Shaelynn and Sylia were best for each other. As she looked at him she got the feeling that he was still acting cold to everyone. This was beginning to unnerve her. In fact she was a bit scared.

Scared because she did not know if he would turn on her and attack her. She remembered that it was last year when he nearly attacked Linna for accusing him of trying to save his own hide. Nene knew differently, and tried desperately to stop Shaelynn from killing Linna. Fortunately she did not have to try to hard since all Shaelynn did was scare the crap out of Linna.

Shaelynn, on the other hand, was deciding how he was going to tell Sylia that he needed to resign from the Knight Sabers. He had been offered a job that was worth going solo for a while. He planned to keep his relationship with Sylia and maybe after Christmas he would ask her to marry him. Yet that was moving too fast, so he put that idea on hold until they had been together for at least two years. That would be fine if he survived that long. He was not kidding himself that the mission that he had might be his last. Then again that was what he thought of every mission that he went on since he started this campaign against Genom.

When they arrived at the training facilities, Shaelynn went into the changing room and put on one of the measuring suits that Sylia insisted that everyone use. It was tight and quite frankly Shaelynn hated it. Once he got it on, Shaelynn padded into the main training room. As he surveyed the room he noticed that the room had various devices that measured different things.

'_Too complex,_' Shaelynn thought acidly. '_I never needed this much equipment to test myself_.'

Even though he was smart, he could not even begin to understand everything that those machines did. Glancing at Linna, Shaelynn noticed that she was laughing at him. The mental static that she was broadcasting was enough to drive Shaelynn crazy. Ignoring her, Shaelynn walked over to the control panel that Sylia was at. Looking at the read out Shaelynn saw that Nene was now on level six of the reflex training simulator. He was impressed none to say the least. Now if he could only convince her to try a bit harder. Maybe, just maybe she could achieve level seven before the year was out.

"Hey there Sylia," Shaelynn said as he came up beside her. "So what is it exactly that you needed me for?"

"Well I am building you a new suit and I need to make sure that you are up to my specifications as far as combat goes," Sylia said coldly.

"My suit works fine for me," Shaelynn said matter of factly. "Why would I want to have a different suit?"

"Let's just say that I would feel comfortable if your suit was not sending Nene's scanners into near burn out," Sylia said.

"I am sorry, but I need the power output that high in order to preform up to my standards," Shaelynn said. "Besides, my suit is the only one that would work if I decided to step up my speed and agility."

"How does it do that," Sylia asked. This was the first time that she had heard that Shaelynn could do something like that. "You never left that data for me."

"Whoops I knew that there was something I forgot to leave for you last week," Shaelynn said. He did not leave it with her for a reason. "Easy way to explain is to test my reflexes twice and then you will see a difference."

"I see," Sylia said. "Nene you have one minute left."

In that one minute Shaelynn saw that Nene could not get the last attack point. When Linna walked over she was amazed that Nene had managed to get even two of them.

"Elimination," Sylia said over the speaker.

When Nene came out of the room Shaelynn was shocked that she did not clear that level yet. Nene was sad that she did not clear it like she thought she could.

"Not a bad attempt Nene," Shaelynn said. "With some more practice you should be able to clear it."

"What were you two up too last month while I was gone," Sylia asked.

"Well Sylia I have been working with both Nene and Natasha in teaching them martial arts," Shaelynn said. "Besides it was in my off time and I did promise my sister that I would train her anyway. I was planning on teaching my sister because of the fact that there is the possibility of that stalker coming after her as well. Besides, I decided to include Nene in it as well. It gave her something to do as well."

"Still I would rather you didn't do that," Sylia said.

"Sylia, look after what happened the first of last month I am not going to take any chances," Shaelynn said wincing under the unspoken tone that was put into that statement. "I am not taking chances with anyone anymore."

"Well you are up next and yes I will test you twice," Sylia said. She was not quite sure as to why Shaelynn wanted to be tested twice, but she would humor him.

As soon as Shaelynn stepped into the room, Sylia started the reflex tester.

"We will start you at level one and gradually work up from there," Sylia said.

"Fine," Shaelynn said in a slight huff. He still did not see the point of having her build him a suit when what he had worked just perfectly.

As soon as the test began, Shaelynn could see that this was going to be easy. He managed to clear the first three levels in under two minutes each. Levels four five and six were cleared in three minutes. When he cleared level seven Sylia called a halt to the testing.

"Shaelynn, would you mind coming back in here please," Sylia asked.

"Sure Sylia," Shaelynn said and then disappeared from the testing room and reappeared next to Sylia in the control room. "What do you need?"

"Well I noticed that you are already at level seven after the first test." I was wondering how in the world you got so good for the first time in here," Sylia asked in amazement.

"Sylia, there are some things that I need to tell you about my suit that I would much rather discuss with you privately. If that is ok," Shaelynn said. '_Seven by her system is only Level three on my system. I still haven't cleared my level four yet._'

"That would be acceptable," Sylia said. "Now shall we try level eight or redo level seven again?"

"Let's redo level seven one more time and this time you will see what I was telling you about," Shaelynn said. "Keep this measurement separate from the first one ok?"

"Alright," Sylia said.

This time Shaelynn cleared level seven so fast the other three of them could not even see his movements because he was moving at an accelerated rate.

"Dear god!" Linna said in shock. "I had no clue that he could move so fast!"

"Sylia that was what I was trying to explain to you," Shaelynn said as he walked into the room. He was a bit shaky from the return to normal movement. Something about moving that fast always had its flaws. This was his biggest problem. Shaelynn would feel like rubber for at least two hours until his system was used to moving normally.

"How did you manage to move so fast," Linna asked.

"All I did was use my Esper abilities to augment my agility and reflexes to only two times that of a normal human," Shaelynn said as he carefully walked over to them. "I could have went as high as four, but not without severe damage to my nervous system. I was pushing it when I saved you from being crushed by that boomer back in September of last year. Then I pushed myself to three times."

"I had no idea that Espers could do that with their powers," Sylia said.

"Not all can," Shaelynn said. "There are only three that I know of. I think that there is a fourth. However, those three can do what I just did, but they are able to pull six to eight times and they are very dangerous if they do that."

"So what you are saying is that there are four, maybe five that can do what you just did," Linna asked.

"How did you get four or five out of what I just told you," Shaelynn asked.

"I just added you to the other three and made a general assumption from there," Linna said.

"Oh," Shaelynn said feeling very dumb. "Yes that is right there are four or five me included that can do what I just did."

"So your safe limit is two times," Nene asked.

"Yup. Three is pushing it and four would do some irreversible damaged to my nervous system. And that can be very bad. Especially if I want to do other things."

"Like what," Nene asked.

"Never mind Nene," Shaelynn said as he dismissed that question with a wave of his hand.

"How fast were you moving in there," Linna asked.

"That was at twice human movement," Shaelynn said. "However, it is not without its share of problems. I am still shaky right now. I will get better in a bit."

"What else are you able to augment," Sylia asked.

"Well let me see. I can augment my strength in my upper body for about five minutes before I start to get tired. Other than that nothing else," Shaelynn said.

"How much does that go up," Linna asked.

"Only to one and a half times that of a normal person my age," Shaelynn said."I can't augment my strength at the same time as I augment my speed and agility."

"I see," Linna said. She was not as apprehensive as she used to be when she first met him. Now that she got to know him there was no doubt that there would be times where he would have to bail them out of several tight spots. If only he was not so likable then she could actually hate him. But there was something that was still nagging at her about him. Something about him was familiar and yet was not. Linna still did not trust him like she could trust the others.

"Sylia now do you understand," Shaelynn asked.

"Yeah I do, but what I want to know is which measurements to use," Sylia said as she looked at the conflicting measurements. "You are obviously faster when you enhance yourself and have a reflex speed that I don't think the suits can match."

"Well Sylia, here is what I will do," Shaelynn began. "I will show you how to adjust your programs to build a suit that will work within both of the measurements that you took."

"Both," Sylia asked in shock. "There is no way that the suit can handle both of the programs."

"I will help you with it later," Shaelynn said as he finished the testing that Sylia needed him to do.

"Linna can you take me home," Nene asked. "I think they need time to be alone."

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Linna said. "It was getting too hot in here for me."

******

Shaelynn casually regarded them with a look of wonder and amazement. It bothered him that they thought that he was going to do something unspeakable. They apparently did not know him that well. He was a gentleman and would never even think about it. In fact when he did think about it, the thought would make him blush. As soon as they left Shaelynn walked back into the changing room to put back on his regular clothes. While he was changing Shaelynn got this feeling that something was going to happen tonight. He did not know when it would happen or what it was, but all he knew was that something would happen. Once he was dressed, Shaelynn walked back out to where Sylia was. She was going over the two different sets of measurements that she got from Shaelynn's testing. As he got closer, Shaelynn could tell from the look on her face that something was wrong.

"Sylia what's wrong," Shaelynn asked. "Was it something that I said?"

"No it is not you," Sylia began. "I was just remembering what happened last month."

"It wasn't your fault," Shaelynn said as he wrapped her in a tight embrace. "You couldn't know that there were twenty Bu-12b combat boomers in that building. Nene's scans showed that there were no boomers in that building at all."

"But we almost died," Sylia said. "I did not want to have to bury you, Linna, and Nene as well."

"It goes with the territory and with the lives that we lead," Shaelynn said. "I knew that from the first moment that I put on my 'Blue Knight' armor back in August of 2034."

"True, but you have had it easy in comparison to us," Sylia said.

"Not exactly," Shaelynn said. "Every 'lost' shipment of boomers that went berserk I was the one that had to deal with them. I was by myself when I had to destroy them."

"But how did you find them so fast if you were alone," Sylia asked.

"I had Michael's help," Shaelynn said. "He gave me enough warning so I could get my suit on and get going."

"I see," Sylia said. "But what I still don't understand is how they knew that we were coming."

"On that it was simple tactics that allowed them to overpower us," Shaelynn said. "We are lucky to be alive. "Yet I couldn't help but wonder who that kid with the golden hair was that helped us."

"That is a mystery that will need to be left for another time," Sylia said. "Now if you can show me what you were talking about earlier?"

"Sure thing," Shaelynn said as they started to work well into the night on his new suit. Shaelynn knew that working on anything was a good way for him to clear his mind of any worries that he might have had. Sometimes it could be good and other times that could be bad. In this case it was good.

******

After Linna and Nene left Sylia's place, Linna was upset. Nene could tell that she was not happy and yet Nene could not understand why. Nene could see that Linna had a tight grip on the steering wheel.

"Oh, he makes me so mad!!" Linna hissed.

"Linna what in the world did he do that has made you so mad," Nene asked tentatively. "What did he say or do that makes you think this way?"

"It is the fact that I still think that he can't trust us," Linna said. "Nene we were a family. You, Priss, Sylia, Mackie, and Me. Now we have lost two of them and now this - this outsider has came in and thinks that he can take Priss' place. I think that it is time that someone tell Sylia that he needs to leave."

"Linna, you were only like this after you found out that he was an Esper. Plus when he told us that he blocked our memories of him telling us that he was the 'Blue Knight.' Besides it was Priss that said that Shaelynn should take her place."

"No. She said that the 'Blue Knight' should take her place. Not Shaelynn," Linna said very angrily.

"Is that all that is bothering you?"

"No, Nene that is not all of it, There is some things that happened to me after I was orphaned by the boomers that killed my parents."

"What happened? I mean if it is none of my business then I don't want to know."

"Nene, the reason that I hate Espers so much is because when I was only sixteen I was attacked and abused by an Esper," Linna said as she nearly started to cry.

"Linna, I never knew," Nene said in shock. She caught the unspoken thought that was evident in what Linna said. "Did they ever catch him?"

"No and that is why I don't trust Espers at all. In fact I hate them all," Linna said with enough venom in her voice that she managed to scare Nene.

"Not all are bad," Nene pointed out. "Look at Shaelynn for example, he would never hurt any of us."

"I don't care," Linna said. "He needs to leave."

"Linna we will be out gunned again if the need should arise," Nene said. "Besides who are we going to get on such short notice?"

"I don't know or for that matter care," Linna said as she gripped the steering wheel tightly. "As long as Shaelynn is gone by the time of our next job."

"You know that Sylia won't like it," Nene said.

"Well she is breaking one of the rules about not getting involved with some one," Linna pointed out.

"Well technically you have broken it a time or two yourself," Nene said. "Besides this person is one of us. So I don't think that it counts."

"Still," Linna said as she pulled up in front of Nene's building. "I am going to talk to Sylia first thing in the morning about making him leave."

"What ever Linna. I personally don't think that he should leave," Nene said. "Well I will see you later."

With that the two friends went their separate ways. Linna was still mad as a hornet. She did not like the idea of having this outsider in the Knight Sabers. He was an unknown and it did not set well on her nerves that if he wanted to he could see all of her secrets and use them against her. Finally getting back to her apartment Linna went in and went to sleep.

******

Shaelynn half woke up with a splitting headache. It felt as if someone was playing roller derby in his brain. He had no idea where he was and for that matter what had happened. He felt something next to him and under his arm as well. It was warm what ever it was. Not to mention soft as well.

"Aw man what in the hell happened last night," Shaelynn asked himself. "Wait a minute who, or for that matter what is under my arm?"

Looking down he saw that there was a woman, well at least he thought it was a woman, with black hair that was snuggled up close to him. He could not see the person's face since it was pressed into his side. Apparently, who ever this was managed to sneak into his house and fall asleep next to him.

"Nope, this not my sister Natasha," Shaelynn said as he laid there trying to block out the ringing in his head. "She never did this to me. At least she had better not do something like this."

Scooting across the bed, Shaelynn fell out and on to the floor.

"Ow! Since when did I have such a small bed," Shaelynn asked himself. "I remember having a queen sized bed and that was at least a full sized. Red carpet? Since when did my house have red carpet?"

Pushing himself up to one arm, Shaelynn noticed that there was definitely red carpet on the floor. Then all of a sudden he got very cold.

"Why is it drafty," Shaelynn asked. Looking down, he saw that he was not wearing a thing. "What happened to my clothes? And for that matter what happened after Sylia and I finished working on my suit? I mean I can remember anything but I can't even remember what happened for the last twelve hours."

Looking at the clock, Shaelynn saw that it was 10:30 am. Then it struck him as to where he thought he was. Grabbing his shorts and putting them back on, Shaelynn then went to the bathroom to get cleaned up. As he soaked in the tub, Shaelynn was starting to go over what might have happened in those missing hours.

"Well let me think either A. The person in the bed with me and I did something that I might regret or B. I got so shit faced drunk last night I have no clue what happened," Shaelynn sighed. "I am inclined to believe that it was B that happened. Or maybe it was a little of both. But I don't know. Only the person that I woke up next to knows. Hell for all I know it could be a guy."

Shaelynn then thought of what might of happened if it was. He also thought of ways to kill that guy, if it was one, for what they did. He was loyal to Sylia and that was the only one. He did not like guys in that sense. While laying in the tub, Shaelynn could hear someone banging on the door. Clutching his head in his hands and then mentally shouting '_GO AWAY_,' Shaelynn sank farther under the water so only his nose was above the water line.

******

Sylia was woke up by the pounding on the door. As she got up she noticed that Shaelynn was not in bed. Scanning the room she noticed that his clothes were still here and well her headache was not as bad, but she did have one. She remembered everything that happened last night. To be quite honest she was surprised if not baffled that things went as far as they did. Pulling on a robe, Sylia walked down the hall to the door. Looking out of the peep hole, she saw that the person standing in front of her door was Linna. Unlocking the door and opening it she let Linna in.

"Linna do you know what time it is," Sylia asked.

"It is 10:30 in the morning," Linna said. "Besides I need to talk with you anyway."

"What about," Sylia asked. She was shocked that it was that late.

"It is about Shaelynn."

"What has he done that needs to be addressed?"

"Nothing. We want him gone, pure and simple. We want him out of the Knight Sabers and more importantly out of all of our lives."

"You and Nene want this?"

"Yes we both do, he is an outsider and we are family. He doesn't belong with us."

"So what do you propose that I do about his suit?"

"It is your design you can take it from him."

"No it is his design and I can't take it from him," Sylia said as she looked at Linna. From out of the corner of her eye she saw that Shaelynn's clothes had disappeared from the chair that they were on. "Linna do you realize what you are asking of me?"

"Yes I do Sylia, he was never one of us and quite frankly I don't trust him."

"Why don't you trust him?"

"Well for one thing his photographic memory is the main problem," Linna said. "And. . ."

"No Linna the main problem is that I am an Esper is that it," Shaelynn asked as he materialized in the room. "Look if you don't want me as a Knight Saber then you should say it to my face. I am sick and tired of people not telling things that deal with me to my face."

"How did you know?"

"You were broadcasting so loud that I could sense your thoughts while I was soaking in the tub. You should learn to shield those thoughts better."

"For that matter what in the hell are you doing at Sylia's place at this hour?"

"That is what I kinda want to know as well," Shaelynn said as he sat down by Sylia.

"Still, Nene and I both want you gone."

"No, you mean **you** want me gone. If there is one thing that you should have known about me is that to lie to me is demeaning. Even if I don't read your thoughts your strong emotions will get by my shielding. Besides what in the hell have I done to you that pissed you off so badly?"

"You are an outsider and are not even one of us."

"What does my being an outsider have to do with any of this? Sylia and Nene have accepted me, so why can't you? If you really feel that bad about me being a Knight Saber, then there is no choice. I must tender my resignation from the Knight Sabers. Sylia you know that if you enforce rule eleven that would mean my death and then how would you feel?"

With that Shaelynn gathered up the rest of his belongings and teleported out to his car. As soon as he put his things in the back seat of the car he then teleported his suit out of the charging unit in the suit room and into the trunk of his car. After retrieving that he drove off for home.

Inside Sylia's apartment, Linna was glad that Shaelynn had left. Sylia on the other hand was taking this really bad. Yet she was not showing it. She knew that she would have to enforce rule eleven, but she knew that she could not bring herself to do it. Something about needing to execute the person that she was in love with did not sit well with her.

"You know that you have to kill him."

"I am not going to. If you think that he is a security risk then you deal with it."

"Sylia, I have never seen you so upset about something like this. Did you have feelings for him?"

"That is none of your concern. Now if you will excuse me I need to get some things done."

"Of course Sylia," Linna said and then quietly let herself out.

'_Oh Linna why do you have to be so stubborn about this,_' Sylia asked herself. '_There is no way that we can handle any of the jobs that have came up without a fourth person. Shaelynn, why did you have to go and quit like that? I thought that you cared so much about me that you would not let anything like this break us apart._'

Picking up the phone she dialed Shaelynn's home number. After the fourth ring the phone was answered.

"Hello," Shaelynn said.

"Shaelynn we need to talk now!!" Sylia said and put an urgent tone to it. "I am coming over to your place and we need to talk."

"Fine Sylia I don't care if you come over. You know the door is always open to you," Shaelynn said. "When can I expect you?"

"By one o'clock," Sylia said.

With that she hung up the phone and started to get ready to go over to Sylia's place. She was going over in her mind what Shaelynn had said, or for that matter, not said. There was an unspoken edge to the way that he said that he quit. It was almost as if he did not want to or was only saying that for Linna's benefit. If this had happened in the year after she created the Knight Sabers, she would have enforced rule eleven. Now she was not so sure that she would. A similar incident like this occurred back in 2033 when Priss said she quit after she had to kill her best friend Sylvie. Something made Priss come to her senses and she rejoined that night. She hoped that whatever might happen it will not take that for Shaelynn to come to his senses. As soon as she finished getting ready she left her place and went over to talk to Shaelynn.

******

After Shaelynn got off the phone with Sylia, he decided to do a little investigating into Linna's background. The files that he was looking for was not hard to find. Plus on top of that they were not as protected as the information that he got on Sylia. He found that she was orphaned after her parents were killed in 2027 by a malfunctioning boomer. The other bit of information that he found was dated in 2028 she was admitted into Tokyo General Hospital. It was discovered that she was attacked and abused by a gang of Espers. Also he found out that a man brought her in and then left her there. The man seemed to match his description perfectly. Since then she has decided that all Espers are bad and can't be trusted.

'_Linna I am sorry for what happened to you,_' Shaelynn thought. '_But I am not one of those people. I half of the time hate having my powers. Yet I have them and I have to live with them constantly. I have to avoid physical contact because I don't want to deep scan someone. If only you knew how it pained me to see you like that. It was wrong for them to do what they did to you._'

Sighing, Shaelynn went about his routine and finished picking up the front room so there would not even be a single scrap of trash on the floor. About one o'clock he heard Sylia's car pull up in the drive way. Walking outside to greet her, he saw that there was another car that was pulling up behind hers. Shaelynn resisted the urge to teleport down beside her. He decided to be like a normal person and walked down to meet her. As they met half way, Shaelynn could see that a man stepped out of the now parked car. He was just a little shorter than Shaelynn and had very short black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing an expensive suit and tie. This was no ordinary man, of that Shaelynn could tell. The others four that got out of the car with him were of varying heights and builds. Two of which were tall and well muscled. The other two were of about average build.

'_Boomers_,' Shaelynn thought. '_Well at least two might be._'

When the man approached, Shaelynn could tell that the two tall men were not human. Or at least he thought they were not human. The man himself had an air about him that just screamed threat.

"Ah Mr. Benton," The man said. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Daniel Dumas."

"Pleased to make you acquaintance, Mr. Dumas," Shaelynn said. "What can I do for you?"

"Well you see I was just transferred to this branch of Genom and I was just curious as to who all of the local personalities are," Dumas said.

Shaelynn regarded him with some suspicion. There was more to this than was being let on. Why in the world was he interested in the local personalities? This was a point that Shaelynn kept in the back of his mind.

"I didn't catch your title," Shaelynn said.

"I am the new Executive Vice President of Genom," Dumas said with a very large hint of pride in his voice. "I answer only to the Chairman."

"Yes that is nice," Shaelynn said cooly. '_The little shit is trying to pump me for information. Not a chance_!' "Now if you don't mind my girlfriend and I need to talk about some things."

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Benton," Dumas said and walked back to his car.

Shaelynn and Sylia then went back into the house to have their discussion. Shaelynn could tell that Sylia was hiding something and it bugged him to no end that she was not being very open with him. Then again the same thing could be said about him as well.

"Sylia call me crazy but I think that there is more to his little social call than meets the eye."

"What do you mean?"

"How many Executive Vice Presidents do you know comes directly to someone like me and tries to start a conversation? I know by my count none."

"The same here unless he is after something more. I don't trust him."

"Neither do I. Now what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Why did you quit?"

"Because I am not the type to rock the boat as it were. I prefer to make sure that all is happy."

"Shaelynn, I don't buy that lame excuse. You never budge for anyone and now you do? What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing, I just feel that by my still being with your organization, Linna and I will eventually butt heads and that could get ugly if worse comes to worse."

"Why must you continually not tell me the truth? If you don't want to see me again then say that."

"Sylia you are jumping to conclusions. When have I ever lied to you?"

"You haven't. That is why I find this hard to believe. Is what you are telling me the truth?"

"About Linna yes. Look I am sorry, but until she understands that I am not her enemy then I can't work with you. At least officially."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well I will be able to help you three, and from what I have been hearing you will need my help."

"How so?"

"Well it seems that who ever The Hacker was working for, will more than likely try to come after you three again. I am really getting sick and tired of the constant threats on your life and on mine."

"Well as you told me it goes with the territory."

"Ouch! I deserved that. But I am serious about the threat that the person that The Hacker worked for."

"How dangerous is he?"

"Well from what I managed to gather from my sources, he has big help."

"How big?"

"Big as in Genom sized help."

"I see. What I don't understand is what does he or she have against the Knight Sabers?"

"I don't know. But on a personal note. You still having those nightmares?"

"Yes I have been. I wish that they would stop."

"How bad are they?"

"They are worse than what the last ones were. I thought they had stopped."

"What are these about?"

"Well I am with you and we are looking for something. Then this man approaches us and then takes me from you. As you try to fight back, he becomes almost non-human for a minute and nearly kills you," Sylia said still shaking.

"Sylia I am still here for you," Shaelynn said as he hugged her tightly. "You know I will always be."

"I know and I am grateful," Sylia said. "Now I must go. I have some errands that I have to do."

"Don't forget to see your mother," Shaelynn said. "She is worried about you."

"You never told me how you found her."

"Another time," Shaelynn said. "I will talk to you later."

"Bye." Sylia said as she left the house.

******

Nene was not at all happy. She was told by Linna that Shaelynn had just quit. Things were not looking good as far as Nene was concerned. They were back down to three members and it looked like that it would stay that way for some time. For some reason Leon was also in a bad mood as well. It was almost as if she could guess what got Leon upset. There was a renegade boomer that went berserk last night and there was no help from the Knight Sabers. She wondered why Sylia did not hear about it. Or for that matter why Shaelynn did not hear about it and go deal with it himself. There was this kid who looked to be about eight or nine years old with spiky blond hair that just casually took out the boomer and then apologized to every one for the mess that was made. It seems that the new chief was pulling the same stunts that went on back in 2034. He did not even allow the deployment of the armored troopers again. It was almost as if this chief was being manipulated by some company to cause the AD Police to be ridiculed. Nene could hear that Leon was getting very pissed off.

"_Makkankousapou_!!" Was yelled from the office. Then there was a large purple flash of energy and all of the office windows shattered plus a loud explosion.

Everyone in the room outside of the Chief's office took cover under their desks when they heard the explosion. Nene was the first one to peek out from behind her desk. What she saw walk out of the office was not Leon but a person about his height. He had green skin, and pointed ears, pinkish ridges on his forearms. He was wearing a blue body suit and a white cape and turban.

"Now dose anyone else want to tell me that we are under-staffed," The man asked sounding very much like Leon.

"Leon, you shouldn't blow you cool like that," Daley said as he came in the room.

"Oh sorry Daley," Leon said as he returned to normal. The whole room looked as if they wanted to kill him. "Well it is the truth. We are not understaffed, but we are under armed."

"Leon you didn't kill the chief did you," Nene asked.

"No I didn't but if he does that again I will give him the early retirement that he deserves," Leon said.

"And you will be out of a job," Nene pointed out. "Maybe even in jail."

"Oh good point," Leon said as he rethought his position.

"Has anyone found out who the kid that took out that boomer last night is," Leon asked.

"Nope!" Daley said. "We have a thought that he might be an Esper. There is no proof of that yet. However, I would not rule out that possibility at all."

"True," Leon said. "But what worries me is that the Knight Sabers were nowhere to be seen at all. I wonder why?"

"I am sure that there was a good reason that they did not show up," Nene said.

"What makes you say that Nene," Leon asked.

"Call it a hunch," Nene said innocently.

The rest of the day passed with out too much trouble. When Shaelynn came to pick her up after work, Nene had a ton of questions to ask him.

"Why in the world did you quit," Nene asked point blank.

"It was because of Linna that I quit," Shaelynn said. "Eventually her and I would have got into a fight and then my temper would flare and something would happen."

"Still I am sure that you two could have worked things out between you," Nene said.

"I doubt it," Shaelynn said. "As far as Linna is concerned I have quit. However, I will still help you three out as best as I can."

"I see," Nene said. "Do you know anything about a kid with spiky golden hair?"

"Why do you ask," Shaelynn asked. "I know he helped us back in December of last year but I did not think he showed up again."

"Well he did last night. When we didn't show up that kid did," Nene said. "You don't suppose that he's an Esper do you?"

"Well since he helped destroy twenty Bu-12b boomers with us, I wouldn't be surprised if he is," Shaelynn said.

"Still what dose that have to do with why you quit?"

"It doesn't."

"Will you come back to the Knight Sabers?"

"No I will not," Shaelynn said. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are," Nene said. "We do need you."

"I know that you do and I will still help you all out, but not as one of you," Shaelynn said. "You know I never wanted to join in the first place."

"That is all that I can ask of you," Nene said as she then sat quietly.

Shaelynn dropped her off at her building and the drove on home. Nene noticed that he did not even take her to get their usual desert today.

"Hmpf, maybe he forgot about it," Nene said as she walked into her apartment.

******

As soon as Shaelynn got home his mind was spinning. He did not want to leave the Knight Sabers but he had to in order to protect them. He knew that they did not need protecting, but in this case he feared for their lives. There was still some things that he had to do and that required enough leverage to do it. Leverage that he did not have while under Sylia's rules. His latest job offer entailed destroying a prototype cyberdroid that if finished could be used as the perfect killing machine. Something about this job struck him as odd. He did not even get a name or anything from this person. This was not at all odd. In fact he was worried that he was being set up to get killed. All he knew was that it was dangerous and had to be destroyed. Shaelynn felt that the boomer was a threat to everyone. In this case he could have been right. Coincidently, that was the same thing that the Knight Sabers had been asked to destroy as well. This was all too convenient and it was that convenience that made Shaelynn even more paranoid than usual.

He also had the problem of the stalker that was still on the loose as well. It became imperative that Shaelynn stop him before someone else died. This time around it would have been his youngest sister Natasha. Shaelynn knew that his hands were tied as long as he was with the Knight Sabers. The threat of him killing his little sister loomed over his head like a storm cloud that was ready to rain on him. Also the problem of Akira loomed over his head as well. Shaelynn had to admit to himself that he was scared of Akira.

"There was no way I could stop that stalker while being under Sylia's rules. I have to act on that by myself," Shaelynn said as he sat down.

"You could have asked the others for help as well," Michael prompted as he switched on. "It would not have hurt your high and mighty code of honor to ask for some help. Well would it?"

"No it wouldn't have. Besides the Knight Sabers can't act on grudges," Shaelynn said. "I sorta feel responsible for what happened to Priss."

"How so?"

"I should have never tried to be nice to her at all," Shaelynn said. "It was my getting involved with her in the first place that caused her to die.

"Now there is where you are wrong," Michael said. Look at it this way, if you did not befriend her, then she still would have died and Akira would still be after the other three as well. Except for one small difference."

"What is that?"

"They would not have known that he was after them. And for that matter they would have all been killed last moth as well," Michael said.

"Oh, you are mean."

"No, not mean. Just telling you what would have happened if you had never gotten involved," Michael pointed out. "It was by your choice that you got involved with them."

"That is true," Shaelynn said. "Still I feel guilty for letting her die."

"You couldn't have been in two places at once. Besides, I know that Sylia is upset that you quit," Michael said. "I know that you have your reasons, but look at it this way. By quitting you have put them at a disadvantage for the job that you four were supposed to do tonight."

"Which reminds me Michael, I need the 'L-type' equipment for tonight's job."

"The 'L-type' equipment is still experimental," Michael said. "There is a possibility that you will rip yourself apart if you use it."

"That is the chance that I will have to take. If that happens then it happens," Shaelynn said. "Besides, I don't think that cyberdroid was made by Genom proper. I think that whoever was the Hacker's superior is the one that built that cyberdroid."

"What is your basis for that assumption?"

"Well it was something that The Hacker said," Shaelynn began. "He said something to the effect of he needed to kill me and 'they' were going to kill the Knight Sabers."

"Still there is no reason for you to use the 'L-type' equipment," Michael said. "I won't be responsible for this excursion."

"Michael, look all I wanted you to do is get the equipment ready for me," Shaelynn said. "I was not asking you to put the thing on my suit."

"I would hate to have to tell Sylia that you were killed by your own foolishness," Michael said.

"What ever Michael," Shaelynn said coldly. He was not in the mood to discuss Sylia at the moment. "I need to destroy that Boomer before it destroys everyone that I care about."

"What about our commission for the job?"

"Call this a job of conscious," Shaelynn said. "Besides I still have more than eighty-percent of what I made on the last job I did with the Knight Sabers."

"I see," Michael said. "You are a very brave man."

"I know." Shaelynn said and then vanished.

******

Across town, Daniel Dumas was plotting his next move. He was upset that his pawn was unable to destroy that shop owner. Dumas figured that he would have to destroy that shop owner's mental resolve and then take away the one person that he loves.

"Mr. Benton if you think that you are safe, then think again," Dumas said with a slight growl. "Then I will make sure that your girlfriend will have nothing more to do with you."

"Mr. Dumas, we have found where Ms. Stingray lives," A man said as he walked in the room.

"Excellent!" Dumas said. "Inform Eric and Danielle to intercept Ms. Romanova and Ms. Yamazaki. I want you to intercept Mr. Benton and keep him busy."

"Understood."

"Oh and Carl don't fail me," Dumas said with an angry glare.

"U -understood Mr. Dumas," Carl said as he backed out of the room.

"I must prepare for my talk with Sylia Stingray," Dumas said. "I wonder how I should go about pulling her away from him? I think I will be creative about it. Yet I must do it in such a way that his infernal mental abilities doesn't detect it."

With that, Daniel Dumas left his office to start his plan of making Shaelynn's life miserable.

******

Sylia had just returned from Shaelynn's place. She was still not convinced that what Shaelynn said was the truth. They were close to each other and she did not think that this was the real Shaelynn talking. There was no excuse for what he was doing.

"I am sure that he had good reasons for what he said," Sylia thought as she looked over the details of their job that they were doing. "I still can't help but wonder why he did that though."

"Could I say some thing?"

This caused Sylia to snap out of her reverie. She looked around for the source of the voice. What she saw was a small card-like object sitting on the table next to her.

"Oh it is only you Michael," Sylia said when she recognized the card. "What do you have to say?"

"Well the fact that Shaelynn is kicking himself for quitting," Michael said. "He feels that he is indirectly responsible for your brother's death and for Priss' as well."

"Does he know that it is not his fault?"

"He does, and doesn't seem to care," Michael said. "Plus there were some things that he had to do that he couldn't do while he was a part of the Knight Sabers."

"Such as?"

"Well there is the threat of the stalker that is still at large. And the fact that Akira is also out there as well."

"He was planning to take them on by himself?"

Just as Michael was about to answer there was a knock on the door. Sylia picked up the card and put it in one of her pockets and then went over to the security cameras. As she looked at them she saw that the one that was outside her door was acting up. The audio was working though.

"Who is it?"

"It is someone that you haven't seen since high school," The voice on the other end replied.

Deciding to risk opening the door, Sylia went to the door and unlocked it. Opening it just a crack, Sylia saw the same man that was at Shaelynn's earlier. It was Daniel Dumas.

"What do I owe this social call for?"

"Sylia, I would like to know more about you as a person."

"Mr. Dumas, my life is private. I discuss it with no one."

"Are you sure about that? I was told that you and your boyfriend confide in each other your deepest secrets and desires."

"How do you know that?"

"I have my ways. One of which is closer than you think."

"You are lying."

"Take it as you will, but I will say this much, he does not trust you as much as he says he does."

"You really expect me to believe you."

"No, I don't expect you to believe what I say. I want you to ask him about the nature of a job that he did back in 2033."

"What job?"

"The job that caused the death of forty-five Genom employees and the destruction of a Boomer prototype."

"Why should I ask him?"

"Because he will never tell you the truth."

"Mr. Dumas, I think it is time for you to leave now."

"I was just about to leave."

"Good day to you."

'_Oh and Sylia, you and the Knight Sabers will not live past this month we will see to that!_'

With that Daniel Dumas left her apartment. As she walked over to the security terminal, she noticed that the video camera was working again. Sylia was left with a feeling of fear and terror. Yet she could not explain why in the world she felt like she did.

"Sylia, what is wrong," Michael asked.

"Michael, do you know what he was talking about?"

"Sorry, I wish I had more information on that. I was not on-line at that time."

"I see."

"Oh and to answer your last question before we were interrupted, Yes he was planning to take them on by himself."

"Why? That would be crazy for him to do that."

"Yes I know it would be. I think by doing this he will have fulfilled his need for vengeance on them."

"Vengeance? I do not think that I follow what you are saying."

"Sylia, look at it this way, the stalker is still at large and is after his sister. He swore that he will do what he should have done in the first place. Akira is another matter all together."

"Oh? How?"

"Well he will come after you and Linna first and then cause Nene to go insane. I believe he will use the tactic of letting her see him just enough to make her paranoid and then when she is about to loose her sanity kill her."

"That is mean."

"No one ever said that Akira was a nice person."

"I see."

"You have a job tonight don't you?"

"Yes we do. I only wish that Shaelynn was with us on this one."

"I understand and don't worry he still cares about you greatly. He just has a very strange way of showing it."

"That is so true."

With that exchange Sylia leaves her apartment and takes the elevator down to a sub-basement where all of the equipment is stored. She was disappointed to lose Shaelynn as part of the team. However, it did not sit well with her that he was being so evasive with her. She actually thought that he trusted her. When in fact with the way things were looking, he did not. Looking at the empty recharging unit, Sylia had to wonder if he would ever return. Shaking that feeling out of her mind, She remembered that their suits needed to be prepared for their job that night. As soon as she finished she went over to Shaelynn's shop to talk to him. She was bound and determined to get the truth out of Shaelynn even if she had to beat it out of him.

******

Shaelynn had just finished adding the experimental weapon packs to his suit. It was amazing how much work that he had put into them since September of last year. When he stepped back and looked at it, he saw that the suit looked like a deadly instrument of destruction. In fact it was just that, deadly to whoever it was that opposed him. Shaelynn had to shudder in near-terror as he looked at suit. It almost scared him to see what he had created. Looking at the clock on the wall, Shaelynn saw that it was getting late. Stripping out of his jumpsuit, Shaelynn then stepped into his modified suit.

"I may have to stay on setting two," Shaelynn said as the last of the clamps fastened down. "I have to find the Boomer before I start to get exhausted. If I don't find it by then, I am dead."

"Shaelynn, is there anyway that I can talk you out of this insanity," A voice said from behind him. "Don't blame yourself for my death."

Looking around, he saw no one behind him. Shrugging, Shaelynn put his helmet on and then left the shop.

Shaelynn was going over in his mind how he was going to destroy that cyberdroid. He knew that the equipment that was on his suit was capable enough to destroy several boomers at once. The one thing that he had to admit to was the fact that if he made one mistake in using his modified suit then he would die. That was a chance that he was willing to take. It was enough to know that a boomer existed that was powerful enough to destroy several city blocks by itself.

"Of course Largo could do that on his own," Shaelynn said to himself as he flew off in the direction that he thought the boomer was in.

The instant that Shaelynn left a transparent figure walked out of the shadows. It was wearing a red motorcycle outfit and had auburn hair. Its red eyes had a pained look to them. It was almost as if they were pleading with him to stop his destructive course.

"Shaelynn, it was not your fault. I should have listened to you. How much longer must you carry that guilt," The figure asked into the night and then faded away.

******

Sylia had arrived at Shaelynn's shop over an hour later. She was planning to ask him to help them with the job that they had to do. She had no idea that what she was asking him to do was exactly what he was doing at the very moment. Sylia was still reeling over the fact that there was someone aside from Shaelynn that knew about her other life. In fact it irritated her that some one inside of Genom knew. That alone was frightening unto itself. Knocking on the shop door she got no answer. She figured that he was not answering the door for some reason.

"He's not in there," A voice said.

Turning around, Sylia saw a child that was sitting on the hood of her car. He was wearing an orange martial arts gi with a blue under-shirt and a pair of calf-length black boots. His hair was wild in places and it stuck straight up in the front. His brown eyes was wide with wonder.

"Then where is he," Sylia asked him.

"He left on an insane mission to destroy a boomer," The child said.

"I see," Sylia said to herself. "What is your name?"

"Greg." He said with a sniff. "Are you his girlfriend?"

"Yes I am Greg, but why did he leave," Sylia asked.

"Dunno," Greg said.

"I see. Can I take you home to your parents?"

"Mother died during the quake and Father just died recently. I was raised by my older brother and his wife for a while but then they were killed in a riot last night when a boomer went berserk downtown."

"So you are alone," Sylia asked. This disturbed her. She was talking to a child that had all of his remaining family killed the night before by a boomer that they should have dealt with. And where were the Knight Sabers? She was detained by choice and the others did not know about it until it was too late.

"Yes I am. I am usually taken care of by Trey's parents," Greg said. "But Trey's father never liked my father that much so I did not stay there long."

"Well Greg how about you stay with me for a while then?"

"Sure I would like to."

As they were about to get into Sylia's car, another kid flew in and landed next to the car. He was wearing a dark blue martial arts gi and looked as if he was built like a small tank. As he landed his hair went from golden to lavender, and his eyes went from a light blue to a darker blue. Greg turned around and saw his best friend standing there.

"Trey-kun!!" Greg said as he ran over to greet him. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to help some fool in armor," Trey said. "Who is that lady?"

"I never asked her name," Greg said. "She is the girlfriend of the shop owner."

"Oh well say good bye to her and then come on and let's go," Trey said as he gave Sylia a scathing look.

"I can't I am going to live with her."

"What?!"

"Yes it's true," Sylia said. "I can't let him stay on the streets."

"But Mom would throw a fit if she knew."

"Tell you what, how about I take him to where he will be living and then you two can go have your fun afterwards," Sylia asked them.

"OK that is fine with me," Trey said.

"What color is the armor that is out trying to stop the boomer," Sylia asked.

"Blue and Silver," Trey said. "Hurry Greg and get back here as soon as possible."

"Ok I will," Greg said and got into Sylia's car.

As soon as he got settled, Sylia drove back to her building. When they got up to her apartment Sylia started to make a couple of phone calls. As soon as she got off of the phone, she saw that Greg was looking around her place.

"You are going to go help him aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are going to help him destroy that boomer with the others."

"How did you know?"

"By the sound of your voice when you were talking to your friends on the phone," Greg said. "I promise I will not tell anyone what I know."

"Please don't tell your friend Trey either."

"Oh that is right I need to go help Trey out," Greg said and then walked out to the porch. He concentrated and then was in his form that allowed his best movement and strength. His hair was standing straight up and was golden in color. His eyes were now a light blue. Sylia saw the increase in power and rushed out to the porch.

"Greg, is there something wrong?"

"No I just have to help Trey with a boomer that is all," Greg said and then flew off.

Sylia was concerned that Shaelynn was doing something that she would regret. As she waited for Linna and Nene to show up, Sylia tried to focus on her link with Shaelynn. All that she got from that was determination and the drive to destroy that boomer. It bothered her that Shaelynn was going on a suicide mission. They were barely together and now she was faced with the fact that she might lose him. It was the first time in thirteen years that someone actually cared about her. More as a person than as a leader or surrogate parent. Some how Shaelynn had managed to work his way into her heart in such a way that she thought was not possible. Yet now she thought that he might die. The thought of that happening nearly brought tears to her eyes.

A few minutes later Linna and Nene walked in the door. Nene was concerned about what Sylia wanted. Linna could not even care what was going on.

"Sylia what is going on," Nene asked.

"Nene it is about the job that we are going to do," Sylia said.

"What about it," Linna asked.

"It has become apparent that Shaelynn is also after the boomer as well," Sylia said calmly.

"Wasn't he supposed to be with us on this job anyway," Nene asked.

"Yes he was supposed to, but he is not," Sylia said.

"It's good that he is not. He would only have gotten in our way," Linna said.

"Linna, I am surprised by what you are doing," Sylia said in shock. "First you demand that he is kicked out. Then when he quits, you still have nothing but bad things to say about him. Why?"

"Because he is an Esper," Linna spat. "What else is there to say but that?"

"Linna, he was the heavy artillery," Nene said. "He was the one that Priss wanted to succeed her."

"I still don't care," Linna growled. "He should die for all I care."

"You owe him your life Linna," Sylia pointed out. "In fact we all owe him our lives. He has saved us on at least two occasions."

"Still I don't like it," Linna growled. "But I will help."

"Thanks Linna," Nene said.

"Ok let's get suited up and find him," Sylia said.

"Right," Linna and Nene said together.

******

Shaelynn was at a loss as to where to find the boomer. He had searched the entire west side of district one, where it was reported to be. That sucker was toying with him. How in the world was he going to deal with a boomer that was outsmarting him at every turn. He was not in one of his better moods since he was using a piece of experimental equipment to fight the boomer. Then to make matters worse he had been lectured by his own computer. He had no idea of the limits that the equipment had or what the consequences that its use would have on him. He was already under a considerable strain by staying in the suit's second setting for this long. Two minutes later he had found the boomer. It was more like the boomer had found him. It burst out of a ramen shop that was in the heart of Tokyo for several years. This boomer was massive. It stood fifteen foot tall. It was a menacing sight. Shaelynn had to keep himself from screaming in fright. It was painted a deep black and crimson. It had no apparent weapons on it except for its fists and the ever present mouth cannon. Everything about it screamed threat and dangerous.

"Damn, I can't believe that Genom made something like this," Shaelynn swore.

The boomer advanced on him and was swinging wildly. On several occasions, the boomer came close to hitting the back mounted generator on Shaelynn's suit. He did not want to use the small blasters that were on the arms. It would drain his total suit power. If that happened then he would be a sitting duck. The boomer did connect with a punch to the chest. Even though he was armored, Shaelynn flew through the building and into several tables. The tables shattered under the strain of the weight that was placed on them. He barely missed several patrons that were in the building. Pulling himself to his feet, Shaelynn looked around at the patrons. He saw that they immediately cleared out of the way. As soon as they left the building, Shaelynn then opened up three of the small blaster lenses on his right arm.

"This ends now!" Shaelynn snarled. The three lenses started to glow with a light blue light. Then all of the built up energy then lances out and impacts in the boomers chest. Shaelynn could see that where the boomer was hit, the chest had caved in and was damaged. It caused the tables and chairs to twist and contort into odd shapes. The walls around the hole that he was punched through crumbled as well.

The boomer gave an unearthly howl and flew off. Shaelynn was getting exhausted.

"What does it take to destroy that thing," Shaelynn asked himself. "Well I need to step up my speed and agility. I better go to four times."

Concentrating, Shaelynn made an adjustment to his physiology and then he felt the untapped reserves spring to life. Shaelynn felt new speed and endurance course through his being. As soon as his system normalized with the adjustment, Shaelynn flew off to look for the boomer.

******

Sylia and the others arrived at the shop some forty minutes later. They saw the remains of the battle that took place. The people were still hanging around looking at things.

"What happened here," Nene asked as she looked around.

"Looks as if someone twisted the tables into pretzels," Linna commented.

"It - it was a man in blue armor that did that," one of the patrons said in shock.

"Shaelynn did that," Sylia asked herself. She had no idea that he had that much power.

"Sylia, you mean that Shaelynn did this?" Nene asked over their suit communications channels.

"That is what it appears to be," Sylia said. "I do not understand what he would be using that would cause metal to twist and bend like this."

"Should we even go after him if he has that much fire power?" Linna asked.

"We should," Sylia said. "We were hired to destroy that boomer that he is taking on by himself."

"Sylia are you crazy," Nene asked.

"No Nene I am not crazy," Sylia said. "It is a suicide attempt to take on that boomer alone."

"I have his suit signal," Nene said. "It is faint, but I have it."

"Where is it," Sylia asked.

"By a warehouse on the outskirts of town," Nene said. "According to my readings his suit has only a little amount of power left."

"Then let's get going," Linna said. She did not hate Shaelynn as a person, but she hated him because he was an Esper. On top of which she was in his debt for saving her life.

Linna and Nene took off first leaving Sylia at the site to look at the damage that was caused. She began to wonder what exactly was going on.

'_Shaelynn, what are you trying to accomplish?_'

Several minutes later, the sounds of police sirens could be heard in the distance. Looking up, Sylia saw the familiar shapes of police cars. As they got closer, Sylia decided that she did not want to be here when they arrived. Igniting her flight wings she set off in the direction that the others went.

In flight she felt something touch her mind. At first she thought that it was Shaelynn, but the way that it felt was not Shaelynn's usual gentleness. It was rough and cold. Then as quickly as she felt it the touch was gone. It bothered her since she had never been exposed to too many Telepathic Espers before she met Shaelynn. Sylia put that in the back of her mind and tried to focus on what was going on at the moment. Which was their current job.

******

The blue hard suit kicked up debris and dust as it settled to the ground. As Shaelynn glanced around he noted that the area had seen better days. Rundown and abandoned warehoused lined the street. What could be expected from this section of town that was out this far away from all civilization. Their windows broken out and all pretense at being weather tight long gone. Garbage and other debris littered the street and alley ways between the warehouses. It was obvious that nobody had made legitimate use of any of the warehouses in several years.

"Great, that little shit of a boomer almost appears to know that I've got limits with this 'L type equipment' on my suit," Shaelynn grumbled. "I need to destroy it quickly before I drop from exhaustion. At least out here on the edge of Mega Tokyo I don't have to worry about innocent people getting hurt."

At that moment Shaelynn heard the sound of flight jets behind him. Spinning around, he caught him self before he fired.

"Damn! this is not what I need right now."

As three hard suits stirred up more debris and dust as they settled onto the street near him.

"Saber Prime what are you doing here," Shaelynn panted.

"We've come to help you." Sylia gently reached out a hand as if willing Shaelynn to accept her offer of help and placed her hand on his shoulder. The power coursing through his suit could be felt even through the gloves of her hard suit.

Shaelynn's blue hard suit flinched away from Sylia's touch. "Don't touch me! I'm at my physical limits with this suit."

"Are you crazy," Nene asked. She was scared and it was evident in her voice. "What are you trying to prove?"

"No I am not insane Nene, and I am not trying to prove anything," Shaelynn said. "This thing needs to be destroyed. It can make Largo out to be an angel. And that ain't saying much."

"Are you planning on doing that at the cost of your own life," Sylia asked.

"If I need to I will," Shaelynn said. "It's not as if I would be missed."

"That would be one less Esper then," Linna snapped.

"Linna, you had better stay the hell away from me," Shaelynn snarled.

"Shaelynn, come back alive," Sylia said. She obviously did not hear the comment that he made.

"Don't go thinking with your heart," Shaelynn said. "It's dangerous. I should know."

With that, Shaelynn knelt down and aimed both arms at the door. A pair of braces deployed and imbedded into the ground. Then energy started to form in the palms of his hands. The ground around him was starting to rip up as all of the energy that he was controlling. The others could see large pieces of metal start to twist and contort. Sylia had to back away from him as she felt the legs on her suit also start to bend in ways that she did not design it to bend. The other two also decided to step back as they saw a large ball of greyish-black energy forming in Shaelynn's hands. Shaelynn then threw the energy at the door causing them to buckle and implode.

"What did you use," Sylia asked.

"Forced gravity wave cannon," Shaelynn said as he got up. He was breathing heavily from the exertion. Sweat dripped down into his eyes on the inside of his suit. It stung and he had a hard time focusing.

"I didn't know you had something like that," Linna said in shock.

"Problem is this is an experimental weapon," Shaelynn said as he caught his breath. He couldn't wipe the sweat out of his eyes like he wanted to. "The only problem with that cannon is the amount of energy that it requires."

"What is the recharge time," Sylia asked.

"Two minutes," Shaelynn said. "That was the large cannon that I used. I am not defenseless with this suit."

"Oh," Nene asked.

"I have small gravity blasters as well," Shaelynn said. "I need to get going. I only have several hours of power left in the suit."

As soon as he was able to, Shaelynn ran off into the building to face the boomer alone. He had to put that boomer down or he would end up dead.

"We had better follow him," Nene suggested.

"Why," Linna asked.

"Because he only has thirty-minutes of power left," Nene said. "I am worried that he might not survive."

"We better help him," Sylia said.

"Why should we help him," Linna asked.

"Because if we do not, then he will die," Sylia said.

"Ok fine," Linna snarled.

As soon as everything was settled, the three of them followed Shaelynn into the building. This was the first time that they saw the boomer that they had to destroy.

"Is that it," Nene asked.

"Looks that way," Linna said. "I wasn't expecting it to be so huge."

"Let's get to it," Sylia said. "We were paid to stop it."

"Understood," Linna and Nene said together.

As they got closer, they saw that the boomer was severely damaged in places. Sylia was trying to find Shaelynn in the room. She saw Shaelynn slowly rise to his feet. His suit was showing signs of damage.

"Linna, Nene, we have to destroy that thing," Sylia said.

"Sylia, you don't have to tell me twice," Nene said.

"I'm going," Linna said. "I can't allow him to die."

As soon as it was decided, the Knight Sabers started their attack. Nene went to check on Shaelynn. She saw that he was alive.

"Why Nene," Shaelynn asked. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I think of you as an older brother," Nene said. "Besides, Sylia and I don't want you to die."

"Thanks," Shaelynn said through a wheeze.

Shaelynn then rejoined the fight against that boomer. The fight was long and dangerous. It took a strength of will for Shaelynn to dodge out of the way of the boomer's punches.

"What does it take to kill it," Sylia asked.

"Have you used that wave cannon on it," Linna asked.

"Don't have enough power," Shaelynn said. "If I used what I had left then I would be unable to move."

Shaelynn blatantly lied to them. He knew that he was almost ready to be ripped apart. If he used up what little power he had left then he would die.

During the Knight Sabers' assessment of the boomer, the boomer plowed into all of them from behind. All three Knight Sabers and Shaelynn went flying. Shaelynn managed to stop the others from hitting the walls. However, that act cost him dearly. Shaelynn slammed into the wall and went limp. Sick black smoke was rolling out of the back of his suit. Electricity was arcing out as well. A small trickle of blood flowed out from underneath the helmet.

Linna was the first to see Shaelynn hit the wall and crumple to the ground. This time Linna attacked the boomer with a ferocity born of rage. She threw her daggers into the holes that were caused by Shaelynn's solo assault. The electricity caused the boomer to freeze up. Linna then used her mono-molecular ribbons to slice it up. Nene, screamed in pure terror. She had never seen someone get hurt as bad. All three of the Knight Sabers ran over to where Shaelynn was laying. They did not want to touch him for fear that they might do even more damage to him. Suddenly, Shaelynn started to move on his own. All of the Knight Sabers breathed a sigh of relief. Shaelynn managed to roll himself over onto his side.

"Shaelynn are you alright," Nene asked.

"No I am not alright!" Shaelynn spat. "I am fucked up."

"What is wrong," Sylia asked.

"My whole nervous system is shot to hell," Shaelynn said as he tried to catch his breath. "I tried pushing my system to four times and now I am paying for it."

"Don't move," Sylia said. "We will get you out of here."

"That boomer is not destroyed," Shaelynn said. "It can pull itself back together from very small pieces."

"What," Nene asked in shock. "How?"

"Well it has an advanced damage control system," Shaelynn said weakly. "Gravity is the only thing that stops the thing from repairing itself."

"So that is why you have the gravity blasters," Sylia asked.

"Yeah that is it," Shaelynn said.

As Shaelynn tried to sit up he saw that the boomer was starting to pull the parts that were cut off back together. In what would be only thirty seconds, the boomer had completely reformed and was coming after the four of them. It looked as if all of them were going to die real soon. However, That was not the case. Because at the last minute they could hear two voices yell out:

"_KameKame Ha!!"_

"_Phoenix Buster!!"_

With that, two beams of energy hit the boomer in the shoulders and torso. All of them looked up and saw two kids floating in through a hole in the roof.

"What in the world," Nene asked.

"Two Esper children," Shaelynn said. "We need to save them as well."

"How," Sylia asked.

"Help me to my feet and I can destroy the boomer," Shaelynn said. "My suit will be useless after that, but I will not let those two kids die."

"Fine," Sylia snapped.

That bit of anger snapped Shaelynn out of his plans. He had never heard Sylia get so angry at him. This bothered him.

"I don't want you to die either," Shaelynn said thinking that his earlier statement had angered her.

Nene helped Shaelynn to his feet. She had no idea what was going on. All she knew that he was going to destroy that boomer some how.

"Are you going to use that cannon again," Nene asked.

"I have to," Shaelynn said. "That is all I have that will destroy it."

As soon as he got on his feet, Shaelynn then knelt down and activated the cannon. This time a large ball of energy formed in his hands and before he threw it, Shaelynn sent a message directly into the two kids' minds.

'_Move it. And I mean NOW!!'_ Shaelynn mentally said to them.

Almost instantly the two kids moved. It was not a moment too soon since the gravity wave slammed into the boomer crushing it into a small ball.

Shaelynn, then crumpled to the floor exhausted and hurting all over. He was drained and his suit was showing signs of falling off of him.

"Bring him," Sylia said dispassionately.

Linna picked up Shaelynn and supported him as he attempted to walk. She was not happy with him.

"What were you trying to prove," Linna asked.

"I didn't need or want your help," Shaelynn snarled.

"Drop the heroic crap," Nene said. "You would have been killed."

"No I wouldn't have." Shaelynn said as he wrenched free of Linna's support. Shaelynn then fell flat on his face.

"You can't even walk," Nene said. "Plus you suit is all but destroyed. And I don't think you can use your Esper Abilities."

Sighing, Shaelynn allowed himself to be picked up and carried. For some reason Sylia was being unnaturally quiet. The silence puzzled him.

"Sylia, what is wrong," Shaelynn asked. All he got was silence.

'_I see. She's mad at me,_' Shaelynn thought with a resigned sigh. _I didn't think it would last. I really did a number on myself with this escapade. I should've listened to Michael on this. Fortunately I have just enough energy to 'port to the shop, pull this wreck off and 'port home._'

"If anyone cares about me, you know where to find me," Shaelynn said and then in a blink of an eye vanished from Nene's arms.

"I wasn't aware that he still had some energy left," Linna said in shock.

"It does not matter," Sylia said. "Let's just head home."

******

Shaelynn appeared in his shop in a heap. As he appeared the part of his brain that was blocking the pain released all of the impulses that said he was in pain. Shaelynn was in agony. He howled in pain as all of his body protested the extremes that it was taken to. He barely was able to eject the suit off and then teleported home and into a bath tub of hot water.

"Crap, I was so stupid," Shaelynn swore as he laid in the tub. "I should have listened to Michael."

"Yes you should have," Michael said as he switched on. "I told Sylia what you were planning."

"I kinda figured that one out on my own."

"I had to. You were being unreasonable."

"No I wasn't being unreasonable."

"How bad off are you?"

"Nothing that a few days of bed rest won't cure."

"You have other injuries that you need to attend to."

"Such as?"

"Your broken ribs and other parts as well."

"Michael you are a pain."

"No I am not. I am just worried about you. You are the one in pain."

"Well I will need to get to a hospital to be looked at."

"I'll have Sylia come get you."

"NO!"

"What? Did you two have a falling out?"

"No we didn't, but I think she is mad at me for some reason."

"Ok I will have Jessica come get you."

"Thanks Michael."

"Where will you be?"

"Asleep in my room."

"Ok."

With that Michael switched off. Shaelynn managed to get dried off and then teleported himself into his bed. Some twenty minutes later, Shaelynn could hear someone walking into his room. His head hurt so he did not open his eyes at all.

"Alright who ever you are you have exactly two seconds to leave my house before I make you leave," Shaelynn growled.

"Correct me if I am mistaken, but you are in no position to back that threat up," the person said.

Opening his eyes to slits, Shaelynn saw that it was not his sister Jessica, but Sylia was standing there instead.

"Michael I thought I told you to call Jessica," Shaelynn snapped.

"I did call Jessica and she said that this is your own damn fault and you should deal with this on your own," Michael said. "I am truly sorry."

"So that is how it is then," Shaelynn said with a heavy sigh and blinking back tears. "Even my own family has betrayed me. Now I am truly alone."

"You are not alone," Sylia said. "You left so suddenly and we were planning to take you to a hospital. Why did you leave?"

"Because you are mad at me," Shaelynn said. "Don't try to lie about it. Remember we are connected."

"You are right, I am mad at you," Sylia said. "I want to know why you did not tell me what you were doing."

"I couldn't tell you with out compromising my position," Shaelynn said. "If I said something then I would not have been able to complete this job."

"You are telling me the entire truth," Sylia asked. "I want the truth about what you have been doing. And I mean all of it."

"How about after I get healed up here," Shaelynn asked. "My ribs and other parts are killing me."

"Alright," Sylia said and then helped him to his feet. "Can you stand?"

"Not without support," Shaelynn said. "I seemed to have overextended myself."

"Just lean on me and we will manage," Sylia said.

"Thanks," Shaelynn said with a lopsided smile.

Sylia could not believe how light he was. She was expecting him to be heavier. She was able to get him to her car with out much trouble. The ride to the hospital was made in silence.

Once they got to the hospital, Sylia was able to help him in to the waiting room and got him to sit down. Shaelynn was not in a good mood. He had some busted ribs and maybe more injuries than that.

A few minutes later a doctor came over to check on Shaelynn.

"What happened to you," The doctor asked.

"Rock climbing and I fell twenty feet," Shaelynn said.

"You are lucky to be alive," The doctor said. "Are you some kind of Esper or something?"

"Or something," Shaelynn said.

"I need to know the truth," The doctor said.

"Yes I am an Esper!" Shaelynn snapped. He then winced in pain.

"Alright let's get him into the emergency room," the doctor said. Sylia then helped Shaelynn to his feet and then into the emergency room.

As soon as Shaelynn was in the emergency room, the doctor was able to see exactly what was wrong with him. It turns out that he had broken over half of his ribs. Also he had managed to almost turn his insides into Swiss Cheese.

"Well you are a hurting individual," The doctor said.

"No shit I am," Shaelynn snapped. "How bad off am I?"

"Well over half of your ribs are broken and your nervous system is almost shot," The doctor said. "It amazes me that you are even able to move."

"Yeah well I manage," Shaelynn said through gritted teeth.

"You will need several days of bed rest in order to get better," The doctor said. "Are you his wife?" The doctor asked Sylia.

Shaelynn started to blush. He had no idea that he was going to ask that.

"No I am not," Sylia said. "We are just dating that is all."

"Either way someone needs to stay with him to make sure that he gets better," The doctor said.

"OK fine," Shaelynn said with a sigh. He did not feel like arguing the point.

"I will bandage your ribs for you and then it is up to you to take better care of yourself," The doctor said as he started to wrap Shaelynn's ribs.

As soon as he was finished, Sylia took Shaelynn back to her place. As soon as she got him settled into the guest room, Sylia went to make some tea for herself. She found that it calmed her down immensely. Taking her tea with her down to the guest room, Sylia was determined to get all of the answers that she wanted. And even some answers that she deserved.

"Shaelynn, now tell me the truth about what you were doing," Sylia said.

"Ok," Shaelynn said with a sigh. HE then winced at that simple act managed to send daggers of pain all the way up his spine. "I wasn't exactly truthful about how long I have had my suit. I have had it since 2029. I have been doing jobs for people at a fairly decent price."

"So you are a mercenary then," Sylia asked.

"Yes I am a mercenary, but I will not kill in cold blood no matter how much I am paid," Shaelynn said coldly.

"Why?"

"Because to murder a person is wrong."

"Even if it means protecting yourself?"

"That is entirely different."

"How so?"

"Sylia, that is self defense."

"Have you had any jobs that entailed killing people?"

"Yes, I have only had one such job."

"Who did you have to kill?"

"You guys."

"Us? Why?"

"Well it seemed that someone considered you a threat and decided to have you killed. I refused to take the job on the grounds of conflict of morals."

"And that person's response?"

"Nothing yet."

"They will respond you know that?"

"I am aware of that. I won't let them hurt any of you."

"You can't do much in your current condition though."

"You are right Sylia."

"One thing I must know however, why on earth did you want to tackle that boomer alone?"

"Well the honest truth is because it was causing problems and it was a job of conscious more than anything."

"You were doing it with out getting paid?"

"Basically. Besides that thing was powerful. I did not want anyone getting hurt or killed by it."

"You must realize that your acting alone will eventually get you killed."

"If that is my fate then so be it. Sylia listen I am sorry if I have a negative attitude, but you must understand that I love you to much to see you hurt. That is why I do what I must."

"I understand. Well you need your sleep. Get some rest Shaelynn."

"I will."

With that Sylia left the room and went to take care of other things that she had to do. Sylia wanted to ask him about what he was doing back in 2033. She figured that what Dumas told her was a lie and did not believe it. Yet something was not right about what he said. She hoped that when he was better, he would tell her what was wrong. It was at this time that Sylia started to think about all of Shaelynn's actions. He was acting as if no one would miss him if he did die. This most recent escapade was the final thing that she would take from him.

******

Shaelynn felt as if a weight was lifted off of him. He finally told Sylia what was going on in his life. He only hoped that she understood his motivations.

"I don't know what I should do," Shaelynn said as he laid there. "As far as my relationship with Sylia goes I wouldn't be surprised if it is over between us."

Looking around at the room that he was in, Shaelynn saw that it was decorated very conservatively.

"Nice decoration," Shaelynn said as he looked around. "Well I need to recuperate so I better go into a deep sleep."

With that, Shaelynn settled down and went to sleep. It was not a typical sleep since his whole body was demanding that it needed time to repair itself.

While Shaelynn slept he sent out a telepathic probe to his sisters. In that probe he wanted to know why they did not care about how he was doing. It seemed that Jessica blamed him for the death of Tommy. Kim was ignoring him. Natasha was yelling at him for his stupidity. Pulling out, Shaelynn woke up with a start. Looking around, he saw Linna sitting next to his bed. Her expression was grim.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Linna said.

"Linna, how long have I been sleeping," Shaelynn asked.

"A couple of days," Linna said. "We've all been worried about you."

"What has happened," Shaelynn asked as he sat up. "Last thing I remember doing was talking to Sylia and then I went to sleep."

"We had a job and all of us were nearly killed. It was because of those two kids that you saved, managed to rescue us," Linna said.

"Is she alright," Shaelynn asked.

"Sylia barely survived," Linna said. "Now don't go off the rocker here. The boomer that we were fighting was similar to what you destroyed."

"Was it destroyed," Shaelynn asked.

"This one was yes. We managed to destroy it," Linna said as she went to leave. "Now you rest. You still aren't 100% yet."

Shaelynn was not about to go back to sleep. Placing a foot on the ground, Shaelynn went to test his balance. Sure enough he was able to move with out twitching badly.

"Well I guess I was not that bad off," Shaelynn said with a shrug.

Standing up slowly, Shaelynn tried to walk. It was tough at first, but he was able to get back most of his movement. First thing that Shaelynn did was walk around the room to make sure that he was fine all around.

Feeling satisfied with himself, Shaelynn walked down the hall to Sylia's room. He hoped that she was alright and not too badly hurt. Using the walls to steady himself as he walked, Shaelynn managed to get to Sylia's room.

******

Sylia heard the door to her room open. She thought that it was Linna that was coming in. She did not realize that Shaelynn was up and moving. When she looked up from her newspaper she saw that Shaelynn was standing next to the open door.

"What are you doing out of bed," She asked as she went to help him into the room.

"I am feeling better," Shaelynn remarked dryly. "I've had worse."

"You have?"

"Back in August of last year to be exact."

"So how are you doing?"

"If you mean as far as my Esper abilities I am back up to peak condition."

"I mean mentally."

"Oh that, well in that case I am better."

"That is good to hear."

"I have a question to ask you."

What do you want to know?"

"What exactly happened Tuesday night after we finished working on that project?"

"You mean you forgot what happened?"

"Yes I did forget. In fact I am missing about twelve hours of memories and they are from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning when I woke up."

"I thought that you would never forget something that special?"

"What did we do," Shaelynn asked with a slight bit of hesitation.

"You know what happened and you are choosing to forget it," Sylia said getting upset.

Mulling it over for a bit, Shaelynn came to the conclusion that he really did not want to. When the realization hit him, Shaelynn started to blush.

"Ah I see so that is what we did," Shaelynn said as he composed himself.

All he saw was Sylia nodding her head.

"Anyway, was there anything else that you wanted to tell me," Sylia asked.

"No, there is nothing else that I want to tell you."

"Not even that you want to return to the Knight Sabers?"

"Sylia, as much as I want to return, I can't."

"Why?"

"You know the reasons why I can't."

"Would you care to share those reasons with us," Linna asked as she walked in the room.

"No Linna I won't tell you the reasons why I will not come back," Shaelynn growled. "The way between us has been cleansed and as far as I am concerned you owe me nothing."

"What are you talking about," Linna asked as she tried to figure out what he was saying.

"I am saying that there is nothing that binds us together," Shaelynn said. "As far as I am concerned I have not debt to you at all."

With that Shaelynn walked out of the room. Sylia was still not happy with the way that Shaelynn was acting. Linna was being difficult as usual. It was strange that when ever Linna dealt with Shaelynn she was always hostile to him.

"Linna, why are you hostile to Shaelynn," Sylia asked.

"I can't help but hate him simply because he constantly hides things from us. It seems to me that he can't trust us," Linna said as she started to fume.

"I don't think that is the entire truth."

"It is the truth."

"No it is not the entire truth."

"Ok Sylia, this is the entire truth. I have never liked Espers since I was attacked in 2028."

"You were attacked by an Esper?"

"Actually it was a group of Espers that attacked me."

"That is horrible."

"The last thing that I remember that night was a man beat them off of me and then carried me to the hospital."

"Do you know who it was that saved you?"

"Unfortunately I do not know who it was. I wish I did."

"Why do you have to take your hostilities out on Shaelynn for?"

"Since then I have hated Espers because they were the ones that attacked me."

"I understand that Linna, but this attitude is driving away the person that was meant to help us."

"Do you think that he will forgive me for my actions?"

"I think that he would, you need to go to him and ask him."

"I will after he has had time to cool down."

"Good idea Linna."

******

Shaelynn found himself back in the spare bedroom. Something about the last boomer that he destroyed bothered him. It was almost as if he was set up to fail that mission and die in the process. Laying down on the bed, Shaelynn started going over in his mind all of the things that happened over the last three days. Then it hit him. He had been set up and the person that did it also tried to kill the Knight Sabers as well.

Running back down the hall to Sylia's room Shaelynn burst in her room in a flurry.

"Is there something that I can help you with Shaelynn," Sylia asked.

"Sylia that boomer that I destroyed was a set up. I don't think that I was supposed to live after encountering that monstrosity," Shaelynn said in a rush.

"Shaelynn I have something that I would like to ask you," Linna said.

"Ok I am listening," Shaelynn said.

"I was wondering if you could find it in your heart to forgive me for the way that I have been treating you," Linna said. "I have blamed you for what happened in my past and that was wrong of me."

"Linna, listen to me I can kinda understand what you went through. I don't pretend to fully understand but if it is any consolation I can forgive you for what you have said," Shaelynn said

"Thank you," Linna said

"But you have to realize one thing about me. I have things that I can't tell anyone. If I do then I compromise my position and could very well be killed."

"If that is what you must do then I will respect it."

"Will you come back now," Sylia asked.

"I can't now," Shaelynn said. "I don't think that I will ever will be able to come back."

"Why," Linna asked.

"Ok this I will tell you since it pertains to you all," Shaelynn said with a sigh. "Last year after our fight with The Hacker, I received a job offer that entailed me killing all of you. Now before you start to get bent out of shape I want you to know that I refused to take the job."

"Why did you refuse," Linna asked. "Could it be that you are attached to one of us or something?"

"More a long the lines of the or something," Shaelynn said obviously lying.

Sylia gave him a scathing glare that made his hair stand on end.

"Yes Linna I am attached to one of you three," Shaelynn amended. "That was part of the reason. The other part is because I will never take a human life in cold blood."

"Are you saying that you will not kill someone at all," Linna asked in shock.

"No I did not say that," Shaelynn said. "I will defend myself if I have to."

"But you said you would not kill someone," Linna pointed out. "Does that mean that if someone was trying to kill you then you would not attack him in return?"

"That is a different story," Shaelynn said. "Needless to say, that because of my reluctance to kill you, the boomer that I destroyed three days ago was designed to destroy me and kill the three of you in the process."

"Why did they want to kill us in the first place," Sylia asked.

"Because the person that wanted me to do it believed that you were a threat to him," Shaelynn said as he started to shudder. "Unfortunately I have no idea who it was that hired me. I don't really think that I would want to find out either."

"Is that the truth, or is this a lie that you want us to believe," Sylia asked as she stared at him.

"Yes, it is the truth," Shaelynn said as he squirmed a bit in his seat. "I have no reason to lie to you about this since it involves your safety as well as mine."

"Would you mind telling us what happened back in 2033 with a Genom research center," Sylia asked.

"It would be breaking the trust of the person that I did the job for," Shaelynn said. "I am sure that you would say the same if I asked you about the situation at Aqua City back in 2032."

"How did you know about that," Sylia asked.

"I was tailing Mason and I happened to follow him to Aqua City. Believe it or not I was trying to find out what he was up to. I think I figured that out when I saw the satellite strike," Shaelynn said casually.

"Who were you working for at that time or can you say that," Linna asked.

"Well if you must know I was working for me," Shaelynn said as he nearly laughed.

"I don't think that I follow you," Linna said with a confused look on her face.

"You see no one knows aside from you and Natasha that I am the 'Blue Knight.' All anyone knows is that he is my bodyguard and works for COM-TECH," Shaelynn said smugly. "So technically I was working for myself."

"I get it now," Linna said. "So now why were you trailing Mason again?"

"It seemed that he was trying to achieve something so insane that if he proceeded on his current course of action then he would have been killed," Shaelynn said.

"What was he trying to do," Sylia asked.

"Well he was trying to take over Genom and in effect rule the world," Shaelynn said. "His first targets were the Esper Community. Of which I might add that there are only a handful of them to start with."

"How many exactly," Linna asked.

"Only about sixty-seven in the entire world,' Shaelynn said. "The thing is, only about twenty are in Japan.

"Who are the ones that live here in Japan," Sylia asked.

"Let me see," Shaelynn began. "There is Myself, The Hacker, who I might add is very much dead. Akira Asagiri is one and is still at large. The two kids that I saved the other night, I believe that they have at least one or two members of their family is an Esper. I know of two at the AD Police that are Espers. Plus there was this group of Espers that I beat the living shit out of for assaulting some girl. I wonder if she is alright?"

"Do you have any idea what happened to her," Linna asked.

"Well last time that I thought about her was after I took her to the hospital," Shaelynn said as he recalled the event. "I worried about her for several months after that. I only hoped that she was alright. Then I started to hide behind my work and never did anything else."

"What about the gang that you beat up," Linna asked. "What happened to them?"

"Oh them, Well let's just say that they are all vegetables right now," Shaelynn said. "I really don't know how I did it but when the haze cleared I noticed that they were alive but in a such a state that they did not know what happened to them. Personally I thought that they should have been castrated."

Sylia and Linna both recoiled in shock. For the first time they understood why Shaelynn never got angry. It amazed Sylia that he had such control over his rage.

"Shaelynn, you did not have to do that for me," Linna said. "I am grateful that you did though. Thank you."

"Linna why are you thanking me," Shaelynn asked in confusion. "I don't ever recall meeting you except for the first time in Hot Legs last year."

"We met one other time, it was seven years ago," Linna said. "I was the one that was attacked by that group of Espers."

"You were the one," Shaelynn asked in shock. "I had no idea it was you."

"Yes it was me, and I thank you for what you did," Linna said. "I am glad that you saved me."

"Linna, I couldn't allow you to be hurt."

"Does that include all of us?" Sylia asked.

"Yes Sylia that includes all of you as well," Shaelynn said. "I would be distraught if something were to happen to any of my friends. Now I must go. I have something that needs to be rebuilt and it will take all of my free time that I have. I will see you two later."

As soon as he left the room, Linna could not quite understand why Shaelynn wanted to help her. She figured that he did it out of kindness and left it at that.

"Well Sylia I think that I found out all that I wanted to know," Linna said. "I have to be at work in a few hours so I will see you later."

"Good bye Linna," Sylia said. "Remember that we have a meeting tomorrow."

"I will and thanks."

As soon as Linna left, Sylia needed to talk to Shaelynn. She had some things that she needed to tell him and it was not going to be easy. It involved her calling off her relationship with him. As much as she did not want to, she had to. She was unsure about how he would take the news. She loved him a lot, but his reckless abandon had managed to infuriate her once too often. It was his willingness to sacrifice himself in order to kill that boomer that irritated her the most. Apparently he did not care about his life or the fact that he was hurting her in the process.

Wiping away the tears that were forming, Sylia went to Shaelynn's shop to tell him what was on her mind.

******

Shaelynn arrived at his shop after leaving Sylia's. Thoughts were going through his head. Some of them were not good. Others were just plain scary. How in the world was he going to deal with someone that was now out to kill him. Well Shaelynn figured that this person could take a number and get in line behind all of the other crazies that wanted him dead as well. He was afraid that whoever was after him would try to use Sylia to get to him. If only he could understand what was going on. Shaelynn had his suspicions as to who might want to kill him. Quite frankly he hoped that he was wrong. This was unlike what Akira was going to do to him. This person was upset that Shaelynn did not take the job. Now he was wanted to eliminate Shaelynn and make it out to be an accident.

At the moment he needed to rebuild his suit. He knew that if he had his suit back in working condition, then he might be able to find the person that wanted him dead and deal with him. Shaelynn knew that it would mean compromising his code one more time.

"I still don't understand why I swore that I would never kill a human," Shaelynn asked himself. "I made that code after I did what I did to the group that attacked Linna. It was stupid to do such a thing."

"Not necessarily," A voice said.

"Oh Michael it is only you," Shaelynn said as he jumped in fright.

"You know in a sense that code of morals that you have has saved many lives."

"True, but it has also impeded me from putting an end to certain things that has been going on."

"Such as?"

"Well for example the stalker that killed Priss. Also in particularly Priss' older brother."

"Are you serious about killing them?"

"I am left with no other choice Michael, Akira wants to kill Sylia. That stalker will kill Natasha if I don't do anything about him."

"You still blame yourself for Priss' death don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Honestly, why do you blame yourself for it?"

"Because Michael, I feel responsible for causing all of this chaos in the first place."

"Don't feel responsible for her death. Even if you had not gotten involved, she would have still been killed by him. And yes Akira would still have went after the Knight Sabers."

"I see."

"Shaelynn, you must understand you are not a god."

"Michael quit trying to play philosopher here. I really don't need it."

"Sorry I did not realize."

"I know you didn't. But you must understand that I hate being patronized."

"I have a point you know."

"I realize that."

"Shaelynn, I swore that I would not tell you this, but I think that you should know this."

"Know what?"

"Well I found out that Priss had fallen in love with you."

"She what?!"

"Yes I found out that she had actually fallen for you."

"But why me? I am not anything that she could fall for."

"But she did."

"What did she see in me?"

"I have no idea."

"Still Michael I have to do it. If not me then who will stop them?"

"You realize that you can't just simply throw away your morals as you see fit."

"Give me one good reason why I can't?"

"Who would trust you ever again?"

"Michael, you don't understand. I can't keep a vow that was made in stupidity."

"It wasn't stupid."

"Yes it was. I was eighteen when I said what I said. You had no idea what I was going through. I had just lost my parents, my sister was attacked the night before, and then I find Linna was attacked as well. I couldn't stand it anymore."

"That may be, but you have to understand that if you insist on this course of action then I am sure that Sylia would not want anything to do with you."

"You can't be for sure about that."

"Of that you are right. I don't know if that would be the case or not."

Sighing, Shaelynn started to work on what was left of his suit. Eventually he heard the sounds of someone opening the door to the shop. As he turned around he saw that a man was standing in the door. He was well muscled and looked as if he had the speed to use the power that he had. Casually flipping a tarp over his suit, Shaelynn walked over to the person in the door.

"Can I help you," Shaelynn asked.

"I want to talk to you about a Ms. Sylia Stingray," The man said.

"What about her," Shaelynn asked cautiously. "First off who am I dealing with here?"

"Ah my name. How rude of me," The man said. "My name is Carl McCray. I was wondering how well you know her."

"Well enough."

"Could you explain that?"

"No I can't, and besides why are you so concerned about her in the first place?"

"Because she is in possession of a piece of equipment that my boss wants."

"Get real. Whatever equipment that your boss thinks that she has, she doesn't. Besides what would a lingerie shop owner want with it in the first place?"

"I see that she has you deceived as well."

"Deceived? How?"

"Well she is in charge of a mercenary band called the Knight Sabers."

"You must be sick in the head to think that she would be in charge of the Knight Sabers. Besides I can't see her in powered armor."

"But it is the truth."

"Yeah right. Besides if she was their leader, as you claim she is, what would she want with that equipment that you say that she has?"

"The equipment that she has is a forced gravity wave blaster."

"Get real, I would surmise that whatever the weapons that the Knight Sabers have is good enough for them. What in the world would they want with a gravity blaster in the first place?"

"They could use it to destroy certain types of boomers that Genom was planning to release.

'_You idiot, you managed to tell me exactly what I wanted to know. And besides I am the one that developed the forced gravity wave blaster in the first place,_' Shaelynn snorted mentally.

"Listen Carl I am very busy and I have to get back to work. Now please go."

"Well thank you for your time," Carl said and then left.

A few minutes later Shaelynn sensed that Sylia was coming to his shop.

"What were you two talking about," Sylia asked as she walked in.

"Well he was under the impression that you had something that they wanted. I told him that you had no need of it," Shaelynn said. He was obviously hiding something.

"What was it that he thought that I have?"

"Let's talk else where I believe that we are being spied on," Shaelynn said as he started to scan the area around his shop. Sure enough he found the person that he was talking to. Concentrating, Shaelynn sent a shaft of mental energy right at him. All he did was send a loud mental scream at him. It was enough to send him away in pain.

"Now what did he think that I have," Sylia asked.

"He believed that you had a forced gravity wave blaster," Shaelynn said.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I did not think that you would have any need for one. Besides you are just a fashion store owner."

"So you never hinted that I had a double life?"

"Well he seems to know about it. I told him that I did not think that you did."

"That's good."

"Could we talk back at my place?"

"I suppose, besides I have something that I need to discuss with you."

"Ok, let me get cleaned up here and then we can go."

As soon as Shaelynn washed his hands, he was ready to go. As they walked out of the shop together, Shaelynn could sense that she was troubled by something. He did not want to pry into her mind, but this bothered him. Shaelynn figured that he could wait to hear it from her.

Shutting the shop down, Shaelynn was convinced that no one would get in. However, his paranoia got the better of him and Shaelynn activated the security system on his shop. As soon as that was finished, he got in the car with Sylia and they drove off to his place.

When they arrived, Shaelynn went to pull off his dirty work clothes and pull on a shirt and jeans. As he walked into the living room, he could see that Sylia was looking over several of the pictures that were on the mantle. All of the pictures were of Shaelynn and his two younger siblings. In each picture he looked happy. Shaelynn quietly walked up behind Sylia and waited. He could tell that she was saddened by something. He wanted to reach out and take her into an embrace. Yet, something about this situation did not sit right with him. As he was about to say something, he heard her say something.

"Shaelynn, I wish I did not have to do this," Sylia said sadly. "But I can't put up with your willingness to sacrifice yourself every time that the odds are difficult."

Shaelynn was left speechless. He had no idea that she felt this way.

"I wish that you knew that what you are doing is hurting me a lot," Sylia said this time while wiping away a tear. "I wish I did not have to do this but I guess it is over between us."

Shaelynn's heart sank. He now knew what was bothering her at the shop. Silently teleporting to the kitchen, Shaelynn grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and walked down to the living room once again. He had to make himself forget what he had just heard. When he stepped into the living room this time he saw that Sylia was sitting on a couch.

"Sylia was there something that you wanted to talk to me about," Shaelynn asked as he sat down.

"What I want to talk to you about is us."

"Ok, what about us?"

"I don't think that we should be together anymore."

"Why?"

"I can't tolerate your attitude any longer."

"What do you mean?"

"Your willingness to sacrifice yourself. Do you realize that what you are doing is hurting me?"

"How is that hurting you?"

"Every time you want to tackle something alone I fear that I am going to lose you. I don't want to lose anymore people that I care about. Especially not you."

"But I come back alive."

"Still there is the chance that you will not. I don't want to lose you."

"I will be fine. Besides there is a reason that I do what I do."

"At that reason is?"

"I don't want to see any of my friends get hurt by what Genom releases."

"But you realize that you might die doing what you are doing?"

"As long as those that I care about are still alive."

"But what about me?"

"Sylia, please understand I don't want you to suffer any more."

"But how do you think that I will feel if you die?"

"Well you would probably mourn my death and then go on with your life."

"You are only half right. I would mourn your death yes, but you are the only one that has managed to work your way into my heart. I do not think that I could go back to my normal life."

"Do you really want to call it off between us?"

"I am afraid that I must. At least for now," Sylia said as she was about to start crying.

"I understand," Shaelynn said as he embraced her tightly. Shaelynn knew that this would be the last time that he would be able to do that.

"Is that all you have to say," Sylia asked. "You are not even going to do anything to stop this?"

"Why should I? I respect your decision and I can live with it," Shaelynn said as he pulled away from her. "If that is what you want I understand."

Sylia was shocked. She was not expecting Shaelynn to be this agreeable. She half-expected him to make a big fuss. All he did was give her one last loving embrace and then walked off to attend to other business. This disturbed her. He did not even let out one protest. Seeing that what she came here to do was done, Sylia let herself out and left.

******

As soon as she left, Shaelynn teleported over to his shop to finish working on his suit. He needed to get his mind off of what he had just been told. Something about working always put his mind at peace. However, he needed to understand for his own sake what had just happened. He understood that she was angry with him for wanting to sacrifice himself. Yet what he did not understand was why she had to make a big deal out of it. Was this her way of saying that she wanted him out of her life forever? He thought that she would never want that.

"She needs some space I realize that now," Shaelynn said with a resigned sigh. "Yet why did she have to break up with me? If she wanted me to give her some space then she could have said that and I would have stopped coming over to see her as often as I have been. OH well I knew that I would have done something eventually to call this off and it seems that I did."

As he continued to work, the hairs on the back of his neck started to stand on end. Stopping his work for a minute, Shaelynn looked around the shop for any signs of danger.

The feeling came too late. He could hear the sounds of metal expanding at a frightening rate. Then the blinding flash of white light. The shop was exploding around him. He only had seconds to act. On a whim Shaelynn picked a place and Teleported there. Fortunately he knew the location well. It was the Training room in one of the Sub-basements of the COM-TECH building. However, before he could celebrate his escape, he felt something heavy hit him across the back of his head. Shaelynn had managed to catch a glimps of the person that hit him. It was a man in a black body suit. His hair was long and came down to his waist. It was spiky all over. He had the lightest blue eyes and his face was locked in a scowl.

"_So Mr. Benton you thought that you could escape us. I will make sure that you suffer horribly before I kill you._"

At that Shaelynn lost consciousness.

******

Getting in her car, Sylia could swear that she could feel their link go dead. She knew that their link was the last thing that he wanted to have to remind him of her. Sighing, Sylia drove back to her penthouse. As she arrived, Sylia wondered just what was going on in Shaelynn's mind.

"Michael are you still here," Sylia asked out loud.

"Yes Sylia I am still here," Michael said.

"I want to know what is wrong with Shaelynn."

"Why is there something wrong with him?"

"If you call not having one complaint about our break up a problem then yes there is something wrong with him."

"He did not even complain?"

"No he did not, just said that he understood and respected my decision."

"And that is odd why?"

"Michael, I expected to have to hear him argue about it."

"Sylia, you have to understand that Shaelynn is kinda funny that way. He never really argues, all he does is just agrees in such a way that he makes his argument right there."

"But why?"

"Sylia his thinking is this 'Love with out reservation.' He built his world around you and now he is in shock."

"That was stupid of him."

"No Sylia that was stupid of you for breaking up with him for the reasons that you did."

"But I wanted to have him think about what he was doing to me."

"What he was doing to you? How about what you were doing to him?"

"What was I doing to him?"

"You have shut him out. Sylia, his whole family has turned a deaf ear to him. They don't even want to see him at all. Now who are you going to turn to when your life turns into rubble?"

"I will rely on myself from now on."

"Sylia what will happen when you can't rely on yourself for matters that require help?"

"I will manage."

"Sylia, Shaelynn bought you an engagement ring last month. He was going to purpose to you after Christmas."

"He wanted us to be married?"

"Yes he did. He loved you so much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you."

Just as she was about to respond her phone rang. Seeing that it was both audio and visual she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Sylia, this is Nene there has been an accident?"

"What kind of accident Nene?"

"Shaelynn's shop was destroyed a few hours ago."

"What?"

"Yes I am afraid that it is true. Several witnesses saw Shaelynn go in there and then never come out. Then the entire shop was destroyed. The AD Police could not find a body. All they could find was the remains of his suit. Sylia I am afraid that he has turned up missing."

"Thank you for telling me this," Sylia said as she broke the connection. "Michael, would Shaelynn do something stupid like try to kill himself?"

"No Sylia he would not," Michael said. I believe that his shop was bombed and he escaped the blast."

"I hope that you are right Michael. I hope that you are right."

With that Sylia just broke down and cried. She had no idea what had happened to Shaelynn or why anyone would want to kill him. All she knew that he was gone and with him went a piece of her heart.

The End For now.

Any and all comments can be directed to

Constructive comments will be listened to. non constructive Flames will be given to the Lord High Master EnmaDaiou for burning.

**Page 83**


	3. Chapter 3

BGC Presents: Bubble Gum Explosion: Episode #3: Night of Terror Part 2

**Date:Monday, January 8, 2035**

Sylia was distraught. She believed that the one person that she cared about was gone forever. She finally admitted to herself that she actually loved him and really cared for him. All of the evidence pointed to a murder, which was something that she did not want to believe. From what Michael had told her, Shaelynn wanted the two of them to be married after Christmas of this year. It was that simple act of devotion that brought Sylia to tears yet again. This would be the first time that she would even admit to herself that Shaelynn was even more complex than she first admitted. It disturbed her to know that the AD Police did not find a body.

Something about the way the whole investigation was conducted seemed to her like it was a repeat of what happened to her father back in 2022. How in the world could they cover this up as an accident? She thought about using her connections to look for him. She knew that if she did, then she would be in violation of one of her own rules. She was powerless to do anything. That was a feeling that she did not like one bit. Sylia wondered if that was what was really motivating Shaelynn to act so brashly. She did remember hearing from him on a couple of occasions that his biggest fear was being powerless to stop any harm coming to the people that he cared about. Perhaps she acted selfishly when she broke up with him. The only thing that she could do was inform his family of the bad news.

Picking up the phone Sylia dialed the number to Shaelynn's sister Jessica. The phone rang three times before someone answered.

"Hello Benton residence, Natasha speaking," Natasha said.

"Natasha, This is your brother's girlfriend Sylia," Sylia said.

"Oh hi Sylia. What do I owe this call to?"

"I have some bad news that I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Your brother Shaelynn is missing."

"What? How did it happen?"

"I don't know. A friend of mine told me that his shop was destroyed."

"So he is dead then?"

"We can't be sure of that just yet."

"Thank you for telling me."

"You are welcome."

Hanging up the phone Sylia decided to call the others. Right now she needed someone to talk to. She figured that she could confide in Nene at least. As soon as she hung up the phone, she went to make herself some tea. Thirty minutes later, Linna and Nene arrived. Nene could see that something was wrong. Linna noticed about several minutes after Nene did.

"Sylia, what is wrong," Linna asked.

"He is gone," Sylia said.

"Who is gone?"

"Shaelynn is gone. His shop was destroyed on Saturday."

"What?"

"Yes Linna it was," Nene said. "I am afraid that AD Police has ruled this an accident."

"That is a stupid thing to do," Linna said acidly. "Shaelynn was always careful when he worked."

"We should look for him," Nene said with some hope glimmering in her eyes.

"No it is best that we don't," Sylia said coldly. She wanted to put all thoughts of him in the back of her mind and wall it off. She wanted to forget about him and go back to being the woman that she was before she had met him. In both cases she could do neither of them.

"What has gotten into you," Linna asked at a near shriek. "Are you going to give up on the possibility that he could still be alive?"

"I don't want to do it," Sylia said as she wiped away a tear.

"Sylia, did something happen between you two," Nene asked. She knew that Shaelynn and Sylia were a couple. In her mind it was not breaking the rule of not getting involved with a man. Though she knew those rules were made when it was only women in the Knight Sabers.

"We called our relationship off on Saturday," Sylia said. She really did not want to discuss it any further. In fact she considered this relationship private.

"You mean you were dating Shaelynn," Linna sputtered in shock. "When did this happen and why wasn't I told?" She was shocked to find out that Sylia actually had a life. Linna wondered if this was the real Sylia. In fact she thought that it was great that someone was able to look past Sylia's cold exterior.

"Linna they have had a relationship since September of last year," Nene said doing her best to explain with out giving away all of the details that she knew or suspected.

"Still there is nothing we can do," Sylia said. "Shaelynn is gone and I will not go out and look for some one that could possibly be dead."

"We don't know for sure that he is dead," Linna said nearly yelling. "They didn't find a body."

"I would like to say something here," Michael said.

"What is it Michael?"

"Well Sylia, I would like to hire the Knight Sabers to find out what happened to Shaelynn. I have already transferred a substantial fee to your accounts."

"Why?"

"Surely Shaelynn will object to you transferring money with out his permission."

"I suppose that he would be. But what I do know is that he would have done the exact same thing if Sylia was missing. He would have wanted to hire the rest of you to help him find her."

"If that is what you want us to do then we will," Sylia said with a resigned sigh. At least now she could finally do something about this. In a sense she was happy that Michael had hired them to find Shaelynn. Yet a part of her wished that he did not ask her to do it.

"I guess we can," Linna commented. She could now understand Shaelynn and it made sense why he was important to Sylia.

"Yes, Let's find him," Nene said as she stood up. "I want to find who ever did this and pay him back for it."

******

Across town Shaelynn was just regaining consciousness. The last thing that he remembered was leaving his shop in a hurry and then being hit with something heavy. Looking at the room that he was in, he saw that it was barren and dark. The gray metal was uninviting none to say the least. His head was pounding from what ever it was that hit him. Fortunately, all of his abilities were still intact. He always worried when he hit his head. He worried that his abilities would be damaged. For the first several months of 2028 he cursed them. Now some seven years later he still does not like to use them that much. In fact none of the major companies had anything to hold and Esper that could teleport. Shaelynn was working on that as a side project. He planned to use it on Akira to contain him. At the moment that project would have to wait. As he tried to move, Shaelynn found that he was chained to the wall.

"Good you are awake," A voice said.

Looking up, Shaelynn saw a woman wearing a black skin-tight body suit. Her dark red hair flowed down to the middle of her back. Shaelynn could tell that her eyes were that of a person that knows no compassion. She would carry herself in such a way that it became obvious to any many that was looking at her that she knew exactly how to use her feminine charms to the fullest.

"What do you want from me," Shaelynn roared as he tried to break his bonds.

"We want what is in your mind," She said. Her tone was that of a trained interrogator. "We will get it one way or the other."

"You are Genom ain't ya," Shaelynn spat.

"And if I am?"

"I am not telling you jack Shit!!"

"Who said that you had any choice. I will rip it from your mind."

"You are welcome to try."

Fortunately for Shaelynn, he knew that Genom did not have any Espers that were strong enough to break his shields. As far as Shaelynn knew, he was one of the most powerful Espers on the planet. It was not because of his raw power, but because of his diversity of powers that he had. And it was that power that isolated him the most from people. Most other Espers were limited to either being telepathic, telekinetic, or any variation of the two. Among the Telepathic, he had noticed that only a small few could read the thoughts of others. Those that could were driven insane due to the inability to keep from responding to every thought that was presented to them. The true Telepathic Espers were even rarer since they could both read and pick up on thoughts as well. Those that were not driven insane lead lives of isolation. There were the few that could project energy. He just gave her a defiant glare and then shut his mind up tight as a drum. In fact he also decided to fight back. That was mostly just to be difficult. He could feel her pull out of his mind.

"Damn you," she swore.

"Thank you," Shaelynn said with a smirk. He liked being difficult to Espers that wanted to invade his mind. His sisters on the other had was another matter. "Now it is my turn."

At that Shaelynn probed deep into her mind. Some of the things that he found were not pleasant. He found images of her being beat by her father for being a "Freak of nature." Those images almost made him cry. Other images of her killing the one person that actually cared for her. That image alone nearly caused him to go ballistic. He also had to wince in fear because she was brutal. The final image that he saw was of a man that claimed that he loved her. He even offered to prove it to her in more ways than one. That image alone was enough to make him blush. As he pulled out of her mind he left with such a viciousness it gave the woman a bad headache.

"Now leave me alone!" Shaelynn yelled at her. "And tell your master that he can't get anything from me."

Eventually the woman left the room leaving Shaelynn alone. That was exactly what he wanted in the first place.

'_I am going to have to break out of here and then get back to my company,_' Shaelynn thought. '_Question is how am I going to get out of these chains?_'

As Shaelynn thought about it, he could hear the door being opened. Another figure entered the room. This one he recognized. It was Daniel Dumas.

"So why does the Executive Vice President have to stoop to kidnaping," Shaelynn asked coldly.

"First off Shaelynn, don't try to act like that to me. I know you too well. Secondly, if only you would have taken the job that I sent you, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place," Daniel said.

"You wanted me to kill the Knight Sabers? You are nuts. I don't kill people. I never have and don't plan on it ever."

"We both know that is a lie. Now I want the information on who the remaining two Knight Sabers are. I know that you know who they are."

"Fuck off piss ant!! Even if I knew who they were I would never tell a slime ball like you."

"Must I pull it from your mind?"

"You are not strong enough. You are only a minor telepath and a strong telekinetic. What chance do you have of breaking through my shields?"

"Do you underestimate me?"

"No what I know is fact. I did some research on you and I know all about you. Your abilities are limited to enhancing yourself and that is it."

"I see. So you know all about me. Well I know everything about you as well. Your Esper abilities are weak compared to mine."

"Get real!"

And with that said Shaelynn made a mental adjustment. The instant that his system adjusted, Shaelynn ripped the chains out of the wall. He then charged at Daniel in a blinding dash that caught him unaware. Shaelynn connected with several good hits to Daniel. As each one connected, Shaelynn could hear bone give under his fist. It was enough to cause Daniel to crumple to the ground.

"Now who's the weak one," Shaelynn said haughtily.

Pulling the remains of the restraints off of his arms and legs, Shaelynn then proceeded to find his way out of where he was at. He hoped that he did not run into any boomers as he tried to escape. Silently creeping through the hall, Shaelynn managed to avoid several dozen 55-C boomers.

After several hours of moving through dark halls, Shaelynn finally managed to get out of the building. The instant that he stepped out of the building, he could hear claxons going off behind him.

"Crap, I have to get out of here and quickly too," Shaelynn said as he heard the alerts. "I think that I know that training facility well enough to teleport there."

Concentrating on the 3-D simulation room, Shaelynn then teleported there and hid in the changing room.

******

Sylia, Linna, and Nene were out looking for Shaelynn. It was decided that they were going to split up and look for him. Nene decided that she would check through AD Police channels. Linna was going to go out and physically look for him. Sylia, on the other hand, decided to check with Shaelynn's family. She hoped that he would be there and safe. When she arrived at Shaelynn's sister's house, She found out that they had not seen him and for that matter were of the opinion that he could take care of himself. Sylia could not believe how cold they were to Shaelynn. This unnerved her more than not being able to find him. She could only guess as to what might have happened to make them this way. She believed that it was due to the fact that the youngest of the Benton's was murdered last year.

As she left, Sylia got a feeling that she needed to return to her training facility to get something. Following this feeling Sylia drives across town to Raven's Garage. Seeing that nothing was wrong in the garage area she opened the door to the training facility and walked in. As she walked in she could see that something was amiss. It was almost as if the feeling that she got was palpable. Sylia was concerned that someone else had found out about her secret. Looking around she saw the door to the changing room standing wide open. She wondered if the last person that used the room had forgot to shut the door. Pulling the gun out of her purse, Sylia cautiously walked into the room. Looking around she noticed that everything was still as neat as she left it since last week. Something about this bothered her. It was unlike her, or for that matter Shaelynn, to leave a door standing open.

Continuing to look around, she found the door to the 3-D training room was also open. She was now convinced that someone was in here. However, she did not know where this person was. It was almost as if this person was playing a demented game of cat and mouse. Checking one last time in the changing room for any signs of a person in it, Sylia thought that she saw something that looked familiar. As she got closer, Sylia noticed that there was indeed someone in the room. She saw the reflection in a mirror above the sink.

"Who ever you are come out where I can see you," Sylia said.

"And if I refuse," the person asked coldly. "I have done nothing at all and yet you expect me to move out of here where you can shoot me? I am not stupid."

"I don't care who you are I want you to come out where I can see you."

"Sorry I will not. Oh and don't even try to approach me. I will be out of your reach before you even get close to me."

"Why are you on my property," Sylia asked.

"This was the first place I could think of to run to when I escaped them."

"Who?"

"I can't say. All that I can say is that I need to find someone that I really care about."

"Why are you hiding here then?"

"Because this is the only place that I really feel safe."

"Ok fine just don't leave this room."

"Thank you."

"I will not say that you are welcome, since I have no idea who you are."

"I am sorry that I can't tell you who I am."

Sighing, Sylia left the person to hide in the changing room of her training center. If she only knew where Shaelynn was and then maybe she could get out of the depression that she was now in.

******

Nene had returned to the AD Police building. She had an idea that she needed to have the AD Police follow up on. Since it was indirectly connected to what she was doing with the Knight Sabers, she figured that she could kill two birds with one stone. As she walked to her desk, she noticed that Leon had a piece of what looked like a combat suit.

"What is that Leon," Nene asked.

"Well Nene this was found at what was left of Shaelynn's custom shop," Leon said as he twirled the piece of metal on a finger. "What bothers me is the fact that Shaelynn had it in the first place."

"Why?"

"Well Nene this leads me to believe that Shaelynn and the 'Blue Knight' is the same person. But that is the most absurd thing that I have ever thought of. It would almost be as bad as if I accused you of being one of the Knight Sabers."

Nene recoiled in fear. She wondered if Leon had figured out that she was one of the Knight Sabers. Besides she would not put it past him if he did find out. He was, after all, the best Detective that the AD Police had.

"Nope Leon I would never be one of those vigilantes," Nene said in indignation. "Aside from where you found that piece, who's to say that this 'Blue Knight' isn't just working for Shaelynn?"

"That may be true Nene, but the Chief is ruling this an accident and shutting the case up."

"But surely you are not going to let this thing slide are you? I mean after the death of Ami Mizuno last September, you can't let this go like this."

"If he could do more about it then he would," A new voice said.

Looking up Nene saw that it was one of the front line troops. It was Gwen Patterson.

"Gwen, what exactly do you know about all of this," Nene asked.

"I know more about this than you would imagine," Gwen said.

"Would you care to explain," Leon asked as he rested his chin in his hands.

"Of course I will," Gwen said. "This all has its roots in a job that the 'Blue Knight' did back in 2029. It seemed that he had managed to irritate someone that was in an important position."

"And that was?"

"That person was Daniel Dumas. As it turned out Mr. Dumas had a secret project that he was working on in a warehouse near District 3. 'Blue Knight' was hired by then an unknown source to find and destroy that project."

"Who hired him?"

"Well the person that hired him was a subsidiary of Kyuusei Industries. It seemed that he or she wanted to make sure that this project was never finished."

"So why did Dumas want the 'Blue Knight' killed?"

"Nene, I don't think that he is dead."

"Why do you say that Gwen?"

"Because Leon, 'Blue Knight' wouldn't die even if someone killed him."

"I see."

"Anyway, that project was stopped halfway through the development phase. Later in 2033 'Blue Knight' attacked and destroyed another project of Mr. Dumas. And one final thing. Last year in September he was asked by Dumas to kill the Knight Sabers. From what I have heard he refused to do it on the grounds of he will never kill a human being in cold blood."

"Ok now I understand."

"Not entirely Nene. The fact remains is that 'Blue Knight is missing and so is Shaelynn. Now I think that there is a connection here."

"So why can't Leon do more about it?"

"Well since this case has been ruled 'Hands Off' we can't do anything about it. At least officially."

"MCNICHOL!!!!!" another voice bellowed.

Leon sighed heavily. He knew that it was the chief wanting to yell at him for one thing or another.

"Man what does that bag of hot air want now," Leon swore as he walked into the chief's office.

"Anyway Gwen why can't we do anything about it?"

"Well the chief doesn't want to cause trouble," Gwen said. "He feels that if he does something about this then Genom and the other large companies will put pressure on him."

"Oh I see."

"Nene, we can do something about this on our own. I have asked Hiroshi to rebuild the 'Blue Knight's' suit and customize it to fit a woman. In particularly us two."

"Why us?"

"Because I figure that if we go looking for him this way we will be able to stand a chance if we run into boomers."

"Gwen are you serious about this?"

"Yes Nene I am. But let's not discuss it here."

"Then where should we discuss this then?"

"In Hiroshi's Lab."

"Ok then let's go there."

Nene and Gwen got up and walked over to the elevator and rode it down into one of the many sub-levels of the AD Police building. As the elevator ground to a halt, Nene wonders about how Sylia is taking all of the news that Shaelynn was possibly dead. If she only knew how close Sylia and Shaelynn was, then she might have been able to understand better. Nene wondered if they do find Shaelynn wether or not Sylia will be happy or will she just acknowledge it and go on with her life. Gwen was trying not listen in on Nene's thoughts. It was hard for her to do it. Some of the things that she was thinking about was imaginative. She picked up on the thought that Shaelynn and his girlfriend broke up right before he disappeared. Gwen wondered if that had anything to do with the reasons that he vanished. She came to the conclusion that if Shaelynn was now unattached then perhaps she could try to win his heart. However, Gwen figured that Shaelynn would not even be interested in her at all.

The two silently walked down the long dark hall to the lab of Yuriko Hiroshi. Gwen then politely knocked on her door.

"Come in you two," The voice on the other side said.

Gwen pushed the door open and entered the room. Nene quickly followed behind her and then shut the door.

"How is the progress on the two suits," Gwen asked.

"Oh they are done, but I need to have you learn how to use them properly," Hiroshi said.

"It shouldn't be too hard to use the suit," Gwen said. Nene just looked at the suits and wondered if she should really be using it.

"Wrong! It is not as easy as you might think it is," Hiroshi said as she slapped Gwen on the hand with a ruler. "It requires specific data in order to allow for maximum usage."

"I see," Nene said. "You know Gwen I really don't think this is such a good idea. I mean come on we have practically stolen 'The Blue Knight's' suit and now you want us to use it ourselves?"

"Nene you want to find out what happened don't you," Gwen said in a tone that she thought that she would never have to take with anyone.

Nene just bit her lip and took a step back from Gwen. She was getting frightened by the way that she was acting. "Yes I do, but why must we do it this way?"

"There is no other way that we can do it and not end up dead," Gwen said.

"Alright you two that is enough of the arguing," Hiroshi said as she keyed up two chairs to appear underneath her two guests. The sudden shock was enough to cause them to sit down. "Now sit still and this won't hurt a bit"

Hiroshi then stuck two spherical thing on their heads. They had feet and a face on it's round body. She then started to type away on her terminal. After a few minutes of typing the two spheres disappeared.

"Ok All done now, the suits are specifically fitted to you two and that is it," Hiroshi said with a large smile.

"So how do we put these things on," Gwen asked.

"With these things," Hiroshi said as she tossed them two skin tight body-suits with connectors attached to them. "Just put these on and you will be able to use the suit with out too much problems."

Nene shrugged and then walked into a room to put the thing on. This would be her first attempt at using a suit that was so close to what Shaelynn had that she almost giggled with joy. It amazed her about how well the soft-suit that she was wearing fit perfectly. She could hear Gwen complaining about how tight the suit was. Nene had to stifle a slight giggle, since she was already used to wearing something that tight.

"Why is this thing so tight," Gwen swore as she walked out of the other room. "I still don't see why we need this?"

"Gwen, what will the suit attach to if we don't wear it," Nene said as she padded into the room.

"Precisely the reason that you have to wear them," Hiroshi said. "Now put the actual suit on and let's see how you look in them."

Sighing, Nene and Gwen both walked over to the two empty suits. Tentatively, Gwen took her first step into the suit. She noticed that her foot slipped snugly into a boot-like slot in the leg just above what could be considered the foot of the suit. Gwen then placed her other foot in the other boot. As she did this she could feel the boot conform to her own unique characteristics of her feet. She noticed that the legs and thighs of the suit were split length-wise and looked as if they would fit togther nicely.

"Ok Hiroshi, how does the rest of the suit fit around me," Gwen asked.

"Well that is the part that I had to figure out on my own," Hiroshi said.

"Let me try something here," Nene said. "Initiate boarding sequence!"

At that issuance of the command phrase, the suit that Nene was in started to close up around her. Nene was surprised that the suit closed up that quickly. She now felt as if she was now committed down this path. As she picked up the helmet and put it on, she knew for certain that this was the case. She silently shed tears inside her helmet. She knew what was about to happen. This would have dire consequences if certain parties knew about it. The instant that Gwen had her suit helmet on the both of them took off in to the night to look for the one person that Nene hoped was still alive.

******

Linna had started her search for Shaelynn by checking all of his typical hang outs. The first place that she looked was the Hot Legs club. She figured that even though Priss was dead, he would still hang out there. Sadly he was not there. It was to be expected that since the reason that he went there was gone, he would have no reason to return.

"I should have know," Linna said with a heavy sigh.

Getting back into her van Linna drove off to the next place on the list that she received from Michael. That place was the Survival Shot Game center. She knew that he had to train his combat tactics somewhere and the Paint Ball range was one of the better places to do it. When she asked around, Linna found that the last time that Shaelynn was there was back in December of 2034. Once again she had found another dead end. This was beginning to get on her nerves. She had to find him. Linna had come to consider Shaelynn as an older brother. It was almost as if she actually wanted to make sure that he was alright.

Unfortunately, when Linna was about to get back into her van she was trapped by several tough looking guys. All of them were heavily muscled and looked as if they wanted to kill Linna.

"What do you want with me," Linna asked nervously.

"We want you," The biggest of the group said as he leered at her.

"Leave me alone!" Linna yelled.

"We can't do that," another of them said as he advanced on her. "We always get what we want."

Linna screamed in pure terror and tried to run. The entire mob of men chased her down and cornered her in an alley. She was trapped and had no place to run. She tried to press herself into a corner in hopes that they could not get to her. Sadly, the could and she felt two sets of hands grab her as she lost consciousness.

******

Greg and Trey were flying over the city. They had nothing particular to do so they decided to see if anyone was either in trouble or could use their help. As they were flying they heard a scream. All Greg did was look at Trey and they just nodded in agreement. It was almost as if something had passed between them. They concentrated for a few seconds and when they were through they had powered up to well past what was considered normal for them. Their now golden hair, which was usually short, was now long and came down past their waist. It was spiky all over now. Their faces were now locked in a scowl and their eyes were a light shade of blue. [Author's note: Yes this is Goten and Trunks from Dragon Ball Z. Also Yes I took the liberty of giving them the ability to transform to Super Saiya-jin level 3. This is to make up for the fact that I do not want to have Gotenks here instead. To messy to try to explain how they can do Fusion.] The building tops below them also exploded around them. The two little powerhouses flew down to street level and then skimmed faster than any boomer could ever move. They arrived not a moment too soon. In fact they managed to stop any thing from happening.

"Hold it," Greg said.

"Go away kid if you don't want to get hurt," One of the guys said.

"You are welcome to try," Trey said.

When the gang turned around they saw the two kids standing there. Two of them could not move since they were frozen in fear. The others decided to attack the two kids. They found out that to attack them was an exercise in futility. Every time that one tried to punch either Greg or Trey, they would end up being hurt. Greg managed to get between the group and the person that was down.

Greg saw that the person that was down was none other than a friend of the person that he was staying with. He figured that he should protect her as well as make these people pay. He saw that Trey had managed to knock all of them out. Seeing that he did not need to be at full power. Greg powered down to his normal form. He went to check on the person that was down. She was alive and unharmed. She slowly started to wake up.

"What happened," she asked.

"You were attacked and we saved you," Trey said flatly.

"Thank you," she said. "What are you names?"

"Mine is Trey and this is my friend Greg," Trey said.

"Thank you Greg, Trey. My name is Linna. I appreciate what you did for me."

"You are welcome," Greg said. "What were you doing?"

"A friend of mine is missing and I am trying to find him."

"We'll help you if you want us too," Trey said.

"Sure Trey I could use your help. Greg you could help too if you want," Linna said.

"Thank you Linna," Greg said. "Well shall we go?"

"Ok, let's go," Linna said and then ushered the two kids into her car.

The final stop on her list was one of the two major dealers in computer equipment. She had Greg wait in the car and Trey came with her into the store. Linna wanted to make sure that someone had seen Shaelynn here. While she was looking around, Linna saw a familiar face among the patrons of the store. She just had to see if this person was who she thought she was. Walking over to her Linna saw that it was indeed someone that she recognized. It was her friend Stacy from when she used to work at the aerobics studio. She had no idea that she was in to computers.

"Stacy, is that you," Linna asked cautiously.

"Linna," Stacy said in shock. "What brings you here?"

"Well I thought a friend of mine was here," Linna said sadly.

"So I take it I am not your friend then?"

"Of course Stacy you are my friend. I was meaning another friend that usually comes in here often."

"Oh you mean tall, thin, and mysterious?"

"Who do you think it is?"

"I've only heard his name once or twice and I think that I heard that his name is Shaelynn."

"Yeah that is it. Have you seen him?"

"Sorry Linna I haven't seen him since Sunday when he was at the Genom building."

"What was he doing at the Genom building?"

"Dunno, but I was wondering if you could introduce me to him."

"Sorry his heart is given to someone else."

'_Although Sylia decided to run it through the mud with what she did._'

"I see, well Linna if I see him I will let you know Ok?"

"Thanks Stacy."

As soon as she finished her talk with Stacy, Linna collected Trey from in front of a cabinet full of gadgets and gizmos that would make a techno-junkie's head spin. The instant that they left, Linna drove Trey and Greg home. As it turns out Greg was spending the week with Trey and his parents, so she just dropped the two of the off at Trey's house and then went back to Sylia's place to tell her what she found.

******

Shaelynn breathed a sigh of relief when Sylia left. He did not want to have to face her just yet. He was scared of what she might think of him. Frankly he did not want to have all of his memories of them together resurface. His first priority was to get to Com-Tech and then to rebuild his suit. This would be the first time that he would be acting on a vendetta for purely personal reasons. However, before he did anything else he needed to get home and soak in the tub for about two hours. Focusing on the living room of his house, Shaelynn concentrated and then disappeared from the room that he was in and reappeared in his living room. Walking upstairs to the bathroom Shaelynn started mulling over in his mind how he was going to accomplish his goals.

As soon as he had the bathtub filled Shaelynn got in and soaked away all of the tension of the last few days. When his mind was at ease, Shaelynn started thinking about what he needed to do.

"Michael you still on line," Shaelynn asked.

"Yes I am, and it is about time that I heard from you," Michael chided.

"Thanks all the same," Shaelynn said. "Michael I need you to start constructing two suits for me."

"Why two?"

"The first one will be a stealth suit and the other will be my standard suit."

"What armaments do you require for the stealth suit?"

"I want the small gravity blasters from the "L-type equipment", some form of close combat blade, and of course my heel blades."

"Why not the total "L-type equipment?"

"Because until I can figure how to decrease the power consumption on the gravity wave cannon, it is not useful yet."

"Oh I see, anything else you want on the stealth suit?"

"Let's try adding the cloaking system to the suit along with the standard things that were on my other suit. You know the flight jets, scanners, anything that will scramble sensors as well, and of course be sure to add the secondary settings as well."

"Ok I got it. The color of this suit will be?"

"Michael I want to blend in to the night with this suit. Shades of Black and Gray please."

"Got it. Will your regular suit have the standard paint scheme?"

"Of course. How long will it take to have the stealth suit finished?"

"I will have it finished by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you Michael."

"No problem. Oh I thought that you should know, AD Police now has Hard suits and gave them to two police officers."

"Who did they give them to?"

"Nene and Gwen."

"I hope that Nene doesn't give away herself as one of the Knight Sabers."

"That is a good point. Ms. Romanova has experience with using a Hard Suit."

"Yeah true but not with my type she doesn't."

"Also a valid point. Gwen, on the other hand, has used combat armor similar to what you have before. In fact she has access to Dr. Stingray's research on Combat suits."

"Lovely. Michael do you know if either suit has the extra settings on them?"

"Yes I do know and they do. Although Gwen would be the only one that could use it if she figured out how to activate it."

"Considering all that we now know, could you have the stealth suit finished by midnight?"

"That was when it would be finished in the first place."

"Cool, I need to make one final adjustment to it."

"Oh?"

"I think my abilities have spiked."

"Well I was going to have you run through the simulator to find out."

"Ok fine," Shaelynn said as he got out of the tub.

When he finished dressing, Shaelynn collected the card off of his dresser and teleported to the workshop under COM-TECH. He noticed that his stealth suit was almost complete. Walking over to the controls for the simulator room, Shaelynn keyed in his password and then activated the simulator.

"Michael, I have set it on level nine, so I need you to monitor my progress," Shaelynn said as he pulled off his jumpsuit and abodex mesh. "We need to run this test twice you know."

"I know," Michael said as he started to monitor the system.

As soon as Shaelynn stepped in the room, the test began. He was in a room full of the usual holographic trainers. Shaelynn was surprised when the trainers started to turn vicious. It took all of his skill and agility to defeat all of them and within the allotted time frame as well.

"Michael what in the hell is going on," Shaelynn asked when the first phase was over.

"I just modified the program a bit," Michael said cooly.

"I could have been hurt severely," Shaelynn fumed.

"Not exactly, the most that would have happened would be you would have been stung."

"Not funny Michael, not funny at all."

"Sorry."

"Well this time would you increase the threat value on the holograms to class A?"

"Sure thing."

"How fast will you be moving so I know what to be looking for?"

"I am going to try to see how long I can hold three times. That was what I was at when I escaped from Dumas. I think also I may be able to augment my strength as well at the same time."

"Be careful."

"I will Michael."

As soon as Michael reset the machines to test him again, Shaelynn went back in the room and did the test again. This time Shaelynn was expecting the holograms to be tougher. As he expected, the holograms were tougher and a lot quicker. Fortunately, Shaelynn was able to make the adjustment and neutralize the holograms. When the test was over Shaelynn was still at his enhanced state. He did not feel any discomfort at all. In fact he noticed that his upper limits had been extended. Slowly, Shaelynn returned his reflexes to normal levels and walked back in the work room. He noticed that this time he did not feel like all of his body was one big rubber band.

"Wow, I was expecting to be wobbly for a few hours," Shaelynn said as he walked around.

"Well take it easy," Michael said. "Until your system gets used to the changes I would not try moving that fast yet. Stay where you were."

"I understand. I was just wanting to see if I was not dreaming about my powers spiking."

"Well finish up what you had planned to do to the suit, because we have some hostile people coming this direction."

"I understand."

As soon as he was able to Shaelynn made the last adjustments to his suit. All he did was adjust the power drain to the gravity blasters. The instant that the adjustments were made, Shaelynn pulled the suit on and went out to meet the hostiles.

******

Sylia arrived back at her penthouse about the same time as Linna. She could tell that Linna was scared of something. It disturbed her to see Linna in such a state. She knew that Nene was checking into thing through AD Police and would be gone for at least all day.

"Linna, what happened," Sylia asked.

"Sylia, it seems that there are people that don't want us to find out what happened to him," Linna said half heartedly. "What exactly did he do to have this happen to him?"

"I wish I knew Linna," Sylia said. "But tell me what you found out about his whereabouts."

"Well I went to all of the places on the list and the only lead that I got was at one of the computer places."

"Oh what did you find out there?"

"Well I found out that he was seen Sunday going into the Genom tower."

"What was he doing inside Genom Tower?"

"My source did not know what he was doing there, all she knew was that he was there."

"I see."

"Did you find anything?"

"No, I did not. But I had a strange confrontation with someone in the training facility."

"What? Who all knows about that place?"

"Well we do, Doctor Raven, and . . ."

"Shaelynn does. Sylia that was Shaelynn that you ran into."

"That is impossible. Shaelynn would have no reason to hide."

"Well he would if he was running from someone."

"Why would he be running?"

"That I don't know, but I must say this much though. The way you treated him was bad. I was so blinded by my hatred for what he was I never stopped to consider exactly how much he really cared for you. I have never seen anyone that devoted to you."

"But it was what he was doing that made me so mad."

"Was that really the issue or was it the fact that he was always so dedicated to his task that you could not accept it."

"I really don't see what the point of this is, Linna."

"The point is this, you hurt him really bad, and I think that you owe him an apology."

"For what? I mean he needs to stop his actions."

Linna had put up with Sylia's attitude for the last time. The way that she was acting was getting on her nerves. All Linna did was pull back her hand and slapped Sylia.

"Until you realize how much he meant not only to you but also to the rest of us as a team member, I will not associate myself with you."

With that Linna stormed out of Sylia's place. Sylia, on the other hand, was in shock. She could not believe that Linna would do something like that to her.

"Why in the world would she slap me," Sylia asked herself.

"Maybe because she was tired of what you are doing," Michael said as he switched on. "You realize that she has a valid point."

"I know that she did Michael, but why in the world did Linna have to slap me?"

"I think that it was because she was sick of you making excuses about why you broke up with him."

"But it was the truth."

"No it was not the truth. Sylia listen to me, Shaelynn loved you. In fact he still does, it is just that he doesn't want to see you hurt. If you can understand that then I think you should talk to him."

"But where is he?"

"You will find him soon, and that is all I can say."

As soon as Michael said his peace he switched off and left Sylia to ponder what she had been told.

******

Sylia did not know what to do. Linna was not speaking to her until she changed how she was treating Shaelynn. She decided that she would suit up and go looking for him on her own. It was unlike her to go off on her own, but in this case she needed to find Shaelynn and make amends with him. It was enough to admit that she was in love with him, but to actually use her connections to find him could be considered insane.

"I must do this, otherwise I will never be able to face myself," Sylia said as she walked down to the equipment room. As she entered the room, she saw that Linna was waiting for her.

"L-Linna I thought that you did not want anything to do with me," Sylia asked in shock.

"Well I didn't at first, but what I did not tell you was somebody did not want me to find out where Shaelynn was at," Linna said.

"Why would anyone want to do that," Sylia asked as she stepped into her suit.

"Maybe because whoever it was, wants to get to you, and they thought that the best way to do it would be by kidnaping Shaelynn," Linna said.

"That is insane," Sylia said as she pulled her helmet on.

"Ladies, there is another pressing problem that I think you should deal with," Michael chimed in. "There are two people using a modified version of Shaelynn's suit. Now if I remember clearly that is his design and I think that they should be stopped."

"Why," Linna asked.

"Because they are not supposed to be used by anyone but Shaelynn and you three," Michael said.

"Ok we will stop them," Sylia said as she walked out of the equipment room.

******

Shaelynn had just finished disposing of the two assassin boomers that were lurking outside of the COM-TECH building. What he caught only seconds later was the fact that the two boomers sent out distress calls to Genom proper. As Shaelynn was about to check the surrounding area for more boomers he saw two forms in armor. At first he thought that they were Sylia and Linna showing up to find out what was going on. As they got closer, Shaelynn could see that the designs were similar to his first suit.

"Michael what is going on here," Shaelynn asked. "They have my suits."

"Yes they do," Michael said. "My suggestion is to neutralize then and find out who they are."

Shaelynn then grabbed for the close combat blade that was installed. What he found was a hilt that as soon as he touched it, a blade of pure energy sprang from it.

"Yeah this is cool," Shaelynn said. "Now let's party."

Shaelynn charged at the two new people in Hard Suits. The two new people split up and tried to attack him from two different angles.

"Damn, they are quick," Shaelynn swore. "With out my wire daggers I guess I will have to improvise a bit here."

Shaelynn then closed down the close combat blade and put it away. He then concentrated on adjusting his system to allow him to move at three times normal. The instant that his system normalized, Shaelynn charged the suit that was directly in front of him. If someone could look beyond the visor of the suit, they could see that Shaelynn had a look of murder in his eyes.

******

Gwen was doing what she could to hold off this new suit that showed up out of nowhere. Her sensors did not register its presence until she actually saw it.

"Where in the hell did that thing come from," Gwen asked herself. "I have never seen a suit that could hide from sensors before. Nene what do you make of it?"

"Gwen this suit is a combat suit, we don't have the sensors to analyze it," Nene said.

"I know that. I want your opinion on that suit."

"Well it seems that it relies on close combat as its speciality. We can't get a lock on it so we have to rely on sight to fight it," Nene said. "Gwen doesn't your suit have something extra in it?"

"Yes it does, " Gwen said. "Let me try to use it."

Gwen concentrated and she felt her own Talent kick into high gear and she was moving now at twice what she was moving before. The sensors in her suit registered the change and adjusted to accommodate the change.

"Well I feel faster now," Gwen said. "I don't know what good that would do since this new suit seems to be moving faster now."

"Gwen, let's leave here," Nene said. She was nervous and it showed in her voice. "The odds are about to turn against us."

"What do you mean," Gwen asked.

"There are two more suits coming in from right behind us," Nene said as she pointed off in that direction. "I believe that they are the remnants of the Knight Sabers."

"Understood," Gwen said and they rocketed off back in the opposite direction from which they came.

******

**Date:** Tuesday, January 9, 2035

Linna's current securities job fell through. Due to word that the current Chairman of COM-TECH was missing, Tokyo's economy was starting to decline. Because of this Linna was laid off and had to go back to her old job of working at Phoebes. She was a bit upset that she had to go back to the daily job of teaching, as she like to call them, fat and sweaty farts that need to exercise more.

Today seemed different for some reason. As she scanned the crowd for her two o'clock Tai Chi class she thought that she saw a familiar face in the crowd. Her class consisted of various individuals that did not have much Martial arts experience. Or did they. She could see one individual that moved with so much grace that it bewildered most of the other students. When the class was over she wanted to talk to that student in particular. When she went to look for him, she could not even find him.

'_Hmm now that is just plain odd,_' Linna thought.

Linna then cleaned up and went home. It still bugged her that she thought that the person that she wanted to talk to was familiar in some way. As she was driving home she thought that she saw some one at a near by park. It was one of the only ones that had survived the quake of 2025. Stopping at the park she, got out of her van and walked over to him. She did not get very close, before the person spoke.

"That's far enough Linna," The person said.

"How do you know me," Linna asked.

"From Tai Chi class that is how," he said. "Your teaching style is a lot like the way my mother taught me. I am impressed."

"Who are you?"

"You should know me, are you or are you not looking for me?"

"Shaelynn, is that you?"

"Maybe. If I am who you claim that I am then tell Sylia, to meet me at our usual meeting place. She knows where it is. Also give her this!" He said and then tossed a box to Linna over his shoulder.

Linna deftly caught it. She wondered what was in the box. As she was about to open it she got the feeling that she should not and left it closed. When she turned to go she noticed that the person that she just talked to had vanished.

"Now that is just plain odd," Linna commented as she walked back to her van and drove off.

******

Watching Linna drive away from a near by roof, Shaelynn knew what he had gotten himself into the day that he decided to make himself a part of Sylia's life. He had tried to talk himself out of it, but could not. Then he goes and buys her that ring that he had Linna deliver. He loved her a lot, but the cold personality that was inside Sylia Stingray was melted. She still could be cold and ruthless, but he had found the tender side that had lain dormant in her. In fact it was amazing that she showed it at all to anyone. Shaelynn figured that the only reason that she opened up to him was because she felt a kindred soul in him. Maybe that was the case or maybe it was truly because she actually had some feelings for him. Whatever the case Shane was of the opinion that she would eventually realize how much of a jerk he could be and demand that he get totally out of her life. He was ready for that possibility and resigned himself to that. Sighing, Shaelynn went off to meet with Sylia.

******

Linna arrived at Sylia's place some thirty minutes after she came across that stranger. She had to admit to herself that who ever that was knew too much about them. Yet why in the world would this person go to the lengths that he did to find out about them. Yet something about him and the way that he acted was familiar.

It then donned on her who it was that she ran across, and she ran up the stairs to Sylia's penthouse. Stopping at the door, Linna had to catch her breath from taking the stairs as fast as she did. As soon as she was able to breathe properly, Linna knocked on her door. She was not certain how Sylia would take this news. When the door opened she could see that Sylia was waiting for her.

"Linna did you find something out," Sylia asked.

"I believe that I have found him," Linna said. "I am not for sure but the person that I ran across said to give you this."

Linna then handed her the black velvet box that was tossed to her. As Sylia opened it she saw a ring. It was a beautiful one at that. It had a decent sized diamond in the center surrounded by smaller ones. All of that was on a band of 20 karat gold. She was nearly in tears as she looked at it.

"And you said that Shaelynn had you give this to me," Sylia asked.

"I said I wasn't for sure, but he did say that to find out to come to your usual meeting place," Linna said. "Sylia I am worried. What if this is a sicko that is trying to get your hopes up?"

"I understand your concern, but if it is him then I have to find out what happened to him," Sylia said. "Linna, if you are worried about this then suit up and follow me."

"I was going to do that even if you didn't say to," Linna said.

"Just don't cause a scene," Sylia said as she was leaving.

******

Shaelynn was carefully eyeing his next shot on the pool table. He never really played pool much, but this time he was going to keep up the illusion that he was a regular bar patron. Something about the Ceste La Vis' atmosphere made him nervous. It felt like it was meant for the slime of the city. Actually that was more for the bar in District 26. He could see that he was attracting a crowd as he played his game. That was enough to make him a bit self conscious. He had made the last three shots flawlessly. Now the rest of the patrons were expecting nothing less than perfection on the remaining shots.

'_Nice ones guys_,' Shaelynn thought acidly. '_Give me all kinds of pressure._'

Finally putting their stares out of his mind, Shaelynn went back to shooting his game of pool. Once he finished sinking the last ball he could see that several of the patrons were exchanging hard currency. It would seem that they were taking bets on his game. Shaking his head in resignation, Shaelynn walked over to the bar and ordered himself a drink. All that he wanted was a beer. He was hoping that his initial thoughts of what was going to happen did not. If she was smart, as Shaelynn knew that Sylia was, she would stay away from him and let him get on with his life. Sitting down at the bar, Shaelynn started to sip on his beer and hoped that she did not show up. Sadly for him, Sylia did arrive and promptly at that. Part of him wanted to get up and greet her, but the other part of him wanted to stay well away from her. He did neither.

"Sylia, don't look directly at me," Shaelynn said coldly. "I know that you were followed here. So was I for that matter."

"Ok," Sylia said as she sat down at the next bar stool. "So why did you call me here in the first place?"

"We are all in trouble," Shaelynn said as he took a drink of his beer. "You and the others, as well as myself."

"From who," Sylia asked him. She wanted to know who it was that was putting them in danger.

"Dumas, and Akira," Shaelynn said. "They are not working together. Which is good for all involved."

"So will you be returning to us," Sylia asked.

"I won't answer that in here," Shaelynn said as he held up a warning hand. "We have information leaches in here."

"Information leaches," Sylia asked in confusion.

"The three people sitting in the back corner of the bar work for Dumas. I recognize all of them," Shaelynn said.

"Can't you screen us from their sight," Sylia asked.

"My powers don't work that way," Shaelynn said. "I really don't have that kind of range."

"I see," Sylia said as she ordered her usual drink.

"We need to get out of here and quickly," Shaelynn said as he took a deep pull off of his beer. "I suggest that we leave separately and meet back at your place."

"Why so secretive," Sylia asked. "Surely they won't continue to follow the both of us."

"I don't know for sure about that," Shaelynn said. "But I do know that they need an excuse to find out about your other life."

"Ok," Sylia said. "I will wait for you at my place and then I want some answers."

"Fine you will get some answers from me and I don't think that you will like them," Shaelynn said.

"Fare enough," Sylia said. "I will also get Nene as well. I think that she needs to hear this as well."

"Then I shall see you when I see you," Shaelynn said as she walked out of the bar.

Once he was sure that she left, Shaelynn got up and left as well. Once he got outside, Shaelynn fished out his link to Michael and spoke to it.

"Michael, I need you to post an information needed add on the net," Shaelynn said.

"Why," Michael asked.

"I need information on Daniel Dumas' friends that I have seen him with. Anything that can be found out about them the better," Shaelynn said. "And be discreet about who placed this add too. I don't want the information being funneled back to Genom."

"You know that I am always discreet about it," Michael said with an irritated sniff.

"Good just so I know where you are thinking," Shaelynn said as he placed the card back in his pocket. As he walked down the alley toward the main street, he noticed that the three people that were in the club had started to follow him. This was starting to get him quite annoyed. Whoever they were had ideas in their heads to follow him. It would seem that they were getting their wish until Shaelynn disappeared right in front of them.

******

Across town in a darkened back room in a run-down building in district 24 a man was busy checking the net for anyone that required his services. Even though his normal job paid him well, he figured that this kind of job would supplement his more than generous income from his office job.

"Well now let's see what job offers that has came up recently," he said as he got settled into his chair. This time as he switched on his terminal, he noticed that there was a familiar looking persona standing in the corner of his terminal window.

"Michael how in the world did you know where to find me," he asked in shock.

"Well Greyon," Michael said with a slight laugh. "You are about the easiest one to find. If you know where and how to look."

"True," Greyon said. "So what can I do for you?"

"Well it would seem that 'The Blue Knight' needs some information about Daniel Dumas and his associates," Michael said.

"That's going to be a tall order," Greyon said. "So why did you come to me?"

"Because I know that you can gather what he needs discreetly," Michael said. "Also he has authorized me to deposit your fee in your account as soon as you have the information."

"Fair enough," Greyon said. "I should have something for you by tomorrow at the earliest."

"Good," Michael said as he disappeared from his monitor.

Once he had left, Greyon started to secure his lines into his secondary office. He figured that if Michael could track him down then who's to say others that had a powerful enough computer could do the same. From the limited information that he had, Greyon knew that at least one of the Knight Sabers was an expert in computers. He would not doubt that she was also an expert hacker as well. Once his terminal was secure, Greyon started to work on the project that he was just handed. The obvious information that he found out was that Daniel Dumas was the new Executive Vice President of Genom. He was elevated to that position after the Largo affair of early 2033. That was right around the time when a group of 33-S boomers escaped from one of the Genaros stations. He knew that the battle-mover that was stolen was destroyed at that time as well.

Also at that time, Dumas managed to place himself in such a place where he would get noticed by Quincy. That much was obvious to anyone that knew what to look for. Somewhere along the way, Dumas hooked up with what could only be classified as a group of Esper Mercenaries. As Greyon continued to search on any connecting information about those Mercenaries, he came across a net login by the name of Tiger Shark. Somehow that was still on the web. Opening the message, Greyon noticed that it was a job offer to the 'Blue Knight.' Carefully reading it, he saw that this Tiger Shark person wanted the Knight to kill the Knight Sabers. Greyon saw that the answer that was attached to the message read 'FUCK OFF!!'

'_I wonder why he refused to take the job_,' Greyon thought as he closed up the file. Once he had that out of his mind he found that the answers that he was looking for almost jumped out at him. He had watched one of the fights that the Knight Sabers had against one of the boomers and noticed that the "Blue Knight" would back up all of the others. In particularly the one in the Gray and Blue Hard Suit. '_Now it makes perfect sense. He is working with them on a regular basis._'

Finally he found the connection that Dumas had with the Mercenaries. It would turn out that he was funding them. He found out that there were five of them. Two of them were females and the rest were males. One of the females was an Empath that much he could figure out by the footage that he found on her. The other female of the group did not look like much until she started to lift a car that was made back in the 1960's and was not breaking a sweat at all. That girl's display was enough to give him the shivers. And in his line of work that did not happen that often. As for the three men that were with them one of them looked like he was getting his kicks by manipulating the flowing water from a broken hydrant. Another was causing the flames that were leaping off of a burning car to form and bend into various shapes. The last one seemed to project radiation at people and objects. That person also seemed to be unaffected by what he threw around.

'_This is getting interesting_,' Greyon thought as he continued to search for the information that he was asked to find.

The next block of information lead him to more questions than he had answers for. It would seem that Dumas had asked Mason to work a project back in 2032. That project was destroyed before it was ever completed.

'_I wonder what it was that Mason was working on_,'Greyon thought. He also made a note of that project. He figured that he would look into that on his own time. As Greyon looked into the person that caused the project's destruction, he noticed that it was 'The Blue Knight' that destroyed it. Sighing heavily, Greyon knew that this would be a long night for him.

'_Oh there is a certain beauty in flex-time,'_ Greyon thought as he settled in for a long working night.

******

Shaelynn walked quickly into Sylia's place and started to pace like a tiger. It still bothered him that someone was still out to kill him. Well, he thought to himself, that was the price that he paid for the life that he lead. Within a few seconds, Linna, Sylia, and Nene also walked in and were looking at him oddly.

"What," Shaelynn asked the three of them. "Ok so I am a bit paranoid. Sue me!"

"Why are you like this," Linna asked. She could see that Shaelynn was agitated about something. "Or is that something that you can't tell us?"

"Were you followed," Shaelynn asked.

"Why are you asking us that," Sylia asked with concern in her voice.

"Because I now know that Dumas and Genom wants you three killed," Shaelynn said.

"What for," Nene asked.

"He sees you as an obstacle to his goals," Shaelynn said. "At least that was what I could come up with from when I was captured by Dumas."

"Do you know anything else about it," Sylia asked as she went to make four glasses of tea.

"I am having Michael post an information needed add for just such a need," Shaelynn said as he walked toward a window. "I guess that I have no choice to come back to you guys."

"Are you serious about that," Nene asked.

"It's either that or put you at greater risk by staying away from all of you," Shaelynn said with a shake of his head. "I know too much to not be with you. Besides I have a suspicion that Akira and that stalker was brought here for a reason."

"What reason would that be," Nene asked.

"Well unless I miss my guess," Shaelynn began as he took the proffered cup of tea from Sylia. "That stalker would have fixated on one of you and then either killed you or come damn close to doing so. I would imagine that it was Dumas' intent to have him kill Priss since Akira would not do anything to harm her."

"What makes you say that," Linna asked.

"Well think about it for a minute," Shaelynn said. "After I stopped that stalker in Hot Legs that night, Akira showed up outside of the club and said that if something were to happen to Priss then he would come after all of those that were close to her."

"That would be us," Nene said.

"Exactly," Shaelynn said as he took a drink of the tea.

"So how does Dumas fit into all of this," Sylia asked finally.

"That is what I am still waiting to find out about," Shaelynn. "I too have my sources."

"Fair enough," Sylia said evenly. "So what is our next move?"

"You're the boss," Shaelynn said as he continued to stare out of the window. "That is your decision."

"Geez," Nene squeaked. "You are a big help!"

"I don't undermine those that are in charge of a group that I am just a member of," Shaelynn said as he slowly turned around. "That is just the way that I am."

"Will you abide by our rules," Linna asked.

"For the most part," Shaelynn said. "But I do have things that I have to attend to on my own."

"Then we will help you with them," Sylia said evenly. "We are a team."

"Let them help you," Michael said as he clicked on. "What will it hurt?"

"Michael, stand by mode until further notice," Shaelynn said sharply and then he heard the sound of Michael powering down.

"You are just as stubborn as Priss was," Linna said.

"But twice as dangerous," Shaelynn said as he glared at Linna.

"Ok why don't the two of you calm down," Sylia said as she tried to get them to stop arguing. She found that Shaelynn was willing to calm down as was Linna.

Even though he had forgiven her for her actions, Shaelynn still did not know what Linna was going to do about him in general. At the current moment, anything would have been preferable than waiting around for Akira and that stalker to track them down and kill them.

"Well for now," Sylia said. "We need to know everything that we can about Akira and Dumas."

"Some how," Shaelynn said as he looked at the others. "Akira survived the quake and became extremely protective of his little sister Priss. Also as best as I can guess and with what she told me, Akira frightened her."

"How," Nene asked.

"Akira is a Telepathic Esper," Shaelynn said. That information alone was enough to make Linna pale. "She told me that he knew what she was thinking."

"That could be just about anything," Nene pointed out. "Most siblings can tell what each other is thinking by the way that they act."

"Nope that is not the case here," Shaelynn said. "Priss said that he knew exactly what she was thinking. It's not like the intuition that can make siblings guess what the other is thinking. She hat told me that he could pick up on actual thoughts. That is definitely the signs of a Telepathic Esper."

"What are you basing that assumption off of," Nene asked.

"My own personal development of my Telepathy," Shaelynn remarked.

"So how do we deal with him," Sylia asked. "If at all."

"That is something that I am still trying to figure out myself," Shaelynn said as he started to pace again. "Dumas is the bigger problem right now though."

"How," Nene asked. She was not following Shaelynn's train of thought and that bothered her.

"He is after the lot of you and me as well," Shaelynn said as he took another drink of his now cold tea. Biting back a shudder from tasting the bitterness of his cold tea, Shaelynn tried to discern some reason that would make Dumas focus on them. _"His_ reasons are his own and for now that I all that I know about him."

"How long before you have your information from your source," Sylia asked him as she eyed him warily.

"I should have something from him by tomorrow at the earliest," Shaelynn said. "I hope. Now if there is nothing else that you need me for, I have to attend to some unfinished personal business."

"No solo actions," Linna chimed in. "You should know that by know."

"And I have been doing this Armored Merc trip far longer than the lot of you," Shaelynn said as he glared at Linna. That was enough to cause her to take a few steps back from him. He then turned his gaze to the other two ladies as if to ask them if they had any arguments with him.

"What kind of business do you have to attend to," Sylia asked him. "Or do I want to know?"

"That stalker that killed Priss," Shaelynn said. "I am going after him alone. This was something that Priss wanted me to do and I failed to carry out her last wish."

"You acting on a vendetta," Nene asked in shock. "That is not like you at all."

"Well when that little shit tried to attack my sister Natasha as well, it became personal," Shaelynn said with a sniff. "Besides, I found out from an unwitting source that Priss did have some feelings for me. Which I find totally preposterous!"

Linna and Nene's jaws hit the floor in unison. They were trying to understand what he had just told them. Sylia was not saying anything at all. She had known for some time and understood that Shaelynn did not feel the same about her as Priss did for him.

"Did we hear you right," Nene asked. "You mean that Priss, our Priss, the one that would refuse Leon at the drop of a hat, had some feelings for you?"

"What part of that didn't you understand," Shaelynn asked coldly. "Yes she did, but I didn't have the same feelings for her. I had feelings for someone else."

As he said that last statement, Shaelynn looked right at Sylia and cracked a smile. Despite the fact that they already knew about it, Linna and Nene still could not believe it.

"That is the bit of unfinished personal business that I have to attend to," Shaelynn said.

"Will you let us help you," Sylia asked. She had hoped that if she asked then maybe he would allow them to work with him. "Priss was one of us."

"And I thought than it was forbidden to act on a personal grudge," Shaelynn pointed out.

"It is," Sylia said. "Why are you questioning me on the rules that I created?"

"Why do you think," Shaelynn asked coldly.

"Sylia," Nene said. "I think that I see where he is going with this."

"Oh," Sylia said as she did not move her gaze from Shaelynn.

"He is trying to say that we should let him deal with it for now," Nene started. "And if we also try to find this stalker, then it would open us up to the actions of Akira. Am I right Shaelynn?"

"Exactly what I was getting at," Shaelynn said.

"Then why didn't you just say that," Sylia asked him.

"Read between the lines of what I say and you should be able to understand me a bit better," Shaelynn said. "I have been a solo operative for so long I have never worked with a team before."

"Well here is the chance for you to start," Linna said as she comprehended what he had just said.

"On the Dumas business, yes," Shaelynn said. "But with stalker hell no!"

"So what are you going to do to him," Nene asked.

"What I should have done in the first place," Shaelynn said coldly. He left the other part of that statement unsaid, since he knew that the others would scream about it.

"You are going to kill him," Nene asked in shock. Linna's face mirrored the same expression that Nene had on her's. Sylia coolly regarded as someone that she still could not understand completely. "I thought that you said that you would never take a human life."

"In this instance, I am left with no choice in the matter," Shaelynn said evenly. "Now if you will excuse me I must go."

And with out much more being said Shaelynn walked out of Sylia's penthouse and started to head for home. He had many things to do before he could start to look for that stalker.

******

Once he returned home he was greeted by Michael, who had assumed his holographic form.

"Before you say anything," Michael began. "I want to make it known that I have been receiving various information for the last week."

"Ok, I am listening," Shaelynn said as he was walking down the hall toward the door to his house workshop. He was expecting to be admonished for refusing to have them help out. "What kind of information are we talking about here?"

"He has been in the upper echelons of Genom since 2033 at the very least," Michael started.

"Anyone can find that information," Shaelynn countered with a snort. "That don't explain why he wanted the Knight Sabers killed, or had me kidnapped."

"I wasn't finished," Michael retorted. If Shaelynn did not know better, he would have thought that there was a hint of anger in Michael's tone. "This next bit of information is not well known. It would seem that his rise to power coincided with the incident with some one name Largo and his hijacking of the orbital particle beam satellites. This isn't the first time this Largo has tried to destroy Mega-Tokyo has he."

"No he hasn't," Shaelynn muttered in contempt. "Early last year if you recall, someone took the prototype boring machine that was being developed and tried to destroy the power plant. And that was only after he stole a new generation A.I. that was being developed."

"You should also know," Michael continued. "that he hooked up with a group of Espers."

"Now the pieces are starting to fit together as to why he had me kidnapped," Shaelynn replied.

"I don't think I know how that little information answered that question," Michael pointed out.

"I didn't say it answered the question," Shaelynn replied this time getting annoyed with his computer. "I just said that it was part of the reason."

"Then what is the rest of the reason," Michael asked. "I don't know how to read minds."

"I am still trying to figure that part out," Shaelynn responded with a sigh. "Anything else I should know about?"

"Well, just two things,"Michael said trying to keep from approximating a laugh. "The first is I was sent a message that just said; 'You haven't gotten rid of me that easily. Our last meeting was only a minor set back.' It was signed by someone that is calling himself 'RedEyes.'"

"And the second thing," Shaelynn asked impatiently.

"Your fiancée is at the front door," Michael said this time not trying to keep the humor out of his tone.

Sighing and lightly hammering his fist on the door to his shop, Shaelynn walked back toward the door to let her in.

"What brings you here," he asked as he stepped aside to let Sylia in the house.

"I want to help you with the stalker," She said getting straight to the point. "And I am not going to take no for an answer."

"He went after my family," Shaelynn said tartly.

"She soon will be my family too," Sylia pointed out evenly. "Or have you forgotten what you had Linna give me?"

"No I haven't forgotten about the engagement ring," he said trying to keep from saying something stupid. "I did not want you involved in my own personal crusade."

"Setting that aside for a second," Sylia started. "You still owe me a new alarm clock."

"It's not my fault that I am a heavy sleeper," Shaelynn started. "I just didn't want to get up just yet. Not to mention you should have warned me that it gets louder each time I hit the snooze bar."

"But in the pool," She said shaking her head in amusement. "I would have understood a bit if it ended up against the wall."

"First place I thought of," he said in defense. "I was still partially asleep. Oh, Michael gave me some information regarding Mr. Dumas."

"What did you find out," Sylia asked.

"Aside from the obvious information of when he took over as executive Vice-President," Shaelynn pointed out. "It would seem that he hooked up with a group of Espers as well."

"Anything on them," she asked she went to his overly tidy kitchen to make them some tea.

"Actually yes I do have more information on them," Michael chimed in. "There are five of them that he recruited. Each one had different abilities."

"Such as," Sylia asked.

"One of the Ladies was sensitive to peoples emotions. Another could enhance her strength. The three men that were apart of the group were unique."

"How unique," Shaelynn asked as he pulled two cups out of a cupboard.

"Manipulators of fire, water, and radiation," Michael said as he accessed more of the information that he acquired from his contact. "Also some message from some one called Red Eyes came in as well."

"What did it say," Sylia asked almost dropping the tea pot.

"Something to the effect of the last meeting was only a setback," Shaelynn said as he helped to steady the pot with a tendril of telekinetic force. "Does that make any sense at all?"

"It couldn't be," she said as she sat the pot down. Sylia was visibly shaken at that message. It did not take a person who could read minds to figure that much out. "I thought I destroyed him back in 2034."

"Who are we talking about here," Shaelynn asked as he tried to project a calming influence. He knew who she was meaning, but did not want to voice the thought.

"Largo," she said as she reached for Shaelynn's arm to steady herself. "He stole the second generation Boomer A.I. and tried to use it for his own ends."

"I see,"Shaelynn said as he took her hand in his and passed the calming energy toward her. "He was the one that was behind those incidents then."

"Now we will have to deal with him as well," she said as she started to calm down. She could feel her inner peace starting to return.

"First things first," Shaelynn said evenly. "First we deal with the stalker. Then we deal with Dumas and anyone else."

"You were going after him now," she asked once she understood what he was talking about.

"No time like the present," he said.

"I would have to go back and get my suit if I were to assist you," Sylia said as she turned to face him. "Otherwise I wouldn't be of any use to you."

"I have a spare one that you can use," Shaelynn pointed out. "I had Michael construct one just in case it was needed."

"Even with all the proper measurements," she asked in shock.

"Nothing less than perfection for you Mistress," Michael said with a hint of mischief in his tone.

"How is it that you have a spare suit I can use," Sylia asked once she got over the shock of what Michael had just called her.

"Well if you recall I did tell you I had a copy of the same Data unit you have. It is similar up to certain points,"

"And those parts would be where your father added the data on Michael and the program called J.A.W.S.," she observed.

"That is right," Shaelynn said evenly. "I have made good use of the data that I found on it."

"Having seen your suit I agree. I didn't realize that my father had plans for gravity control," Sylia pointed out.

"That was purely my design," he said with some pride. "Though it is still in the prototype phase."

"We can discuss that later," Sylia said as she started to leave the kitchen. "Let's go take care of the stalker."

******

Across town Cameron Michaels was doing his best to keep hidden from all forms of law enforcement. His latest object of affection was spurning him. She had placed objects in the way of them being together. He knew it, and the way in which she would withhold her affections from him angered him to the point of unbridled rage.

"The person that kept me from my first love will not do so again," he said with an edge in his voice that was close to insanity. "This time I will kill him for good."

Cameron was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he did not even notice the two figures creeping up on him from behind until it was too late. By the time he could react he found himself falling toward the cold unforgiving concrete floor. The next sensations that came to him was the sound of something cracking and the cold and wet rush of blood that flowed from his now broken nose. This was not the first time he had his nose broken, so the pain was mild.

"What do you want from me," he screamed. "I've done nothing to you."

When he did not get a satisfactory response from the person that was holding him to the ground, he started to get up. Unfortunately for him he was unable to move. Now he knew who it was that had came for him. It was the person that originally wanted him to find his first love. Or at least it was one of his goons that had found him.

"Tell – Tell Mr. Dumas that I am doing what I was asked to do," He said through labored breaths. This person was trying to kill him. And he knew the reasons why too. He was a loose end that would gladly tell everything that he knew. "I can't help it that she did not want to be with me. I wasn't going to be spurned by her. This new one for sure will see how much we are supposed to be together and agree to be with me. I just know it."

Then he saw a photograph appear in front of him. The face of the person he found in the picture made him smile.

"Ah yes the woman that would still be with me now if that miserable shop owner had not gotten in the way," he said allowing happiness to color his tone.

"You killed her," came the voice from behind him. He heard no emotion at all in those words. It sounded like the speaker was a cold wind howling through the north. "And you think for one minute she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the likes of you?"

"One way or another she would have been mine," he said calmly. He was now reliving the ideas of what he was going to do. Every time he thought about what he wanted to do, just the very thought of it took him to a state of bliss that he had never before imagined he could ever feel. "I had believed that I had killed both people that were close to her. They were my rivals for her love you see."

"Please continue," the hollow voice said. Cameron could not feel the pressure loosening at all. He would have to do something to allow an opening for him to escape. This voice that he heard was not making what he had to do any easier.

"You see after I went to her trailer, I was going to wait for awhile to make sure she had died," Cameron continued still in the thrall of his remembered plan. "Once I knew that nobody would come looking for her, well I won't bore you with the details. I think you already know what I would have done. But I was prevented from completing what I wanted to do. That annoying fly showed up, you know the one that I shot in his own shop. He showed up and ruined everything. So that was when I decided to turn my attention to that sweet sister of his. You know the one that lives with him. The one who I hoped was really nice."

"Were you going to do the same thing to her," the voice asked. The pressure was slowly starting to relax.

"That and much, much more," Cameron said as he allowed a large smile to cross his face. At that point he was able to escape. The hand or what ever it was that was holding him down had been removed.

"Been a pleasure, but I have places to go," Cameron said as he picked himself up off of the ground and ran as quick as he could out of the room.

******

The revelations over the last ten minutes were enough to shock anyone. How could any law enforcement agency allow someone like him to walk was anyone's guess.

'_I thought it was Genom that killed Tommy_,' Shaelynn thought coldly. 'N_ow I discover that not only did he kill Priss and my brother, but also he was ordered by Dumas to do what he did._'

"Shae, are you alright," Sylia asked over a private communication channel. "You can't believe what he just told us."

"Why can't I," Shaelynn said still in the icy tone. "You heard him as well as I did. He wanted Priss and my sister for himself. And he didn't care if they were willing or alive either."

"What are your plans," she asked this time concerned for him. Had the desire for vengeance consumed everything that was good and pure in him.

"Simple," Shaelynn said. "I am going to kill him."

Saying nothing more, Shaelynn stalked out of the same room and then disappeared.

At first Sylia thought he had teleported, but the scanners in her borrowed suit still was able to track him. She knew that all he did was engage the active stealth field on his suit and flew out of the window.

'_What has he become_,' She wondered. '_Something about him has changed since he came back to us. I don't know what happened to him, but I will find out_.'

Engaging her own flight system she flew off after him as well. She hoped that when she found Shaelynn he would not have been too brutal about how he had ended that person's life.

******

Cameron was in a flight for his life. In the last thirty minutes he had the presence of mind to avoid large objects that were being thrown at him. At one point he had to dodge a snapped in half light pole that was being thrown like an over sized spear. What had he angered that could cause the kind of destruction. At first he thought it was a boomer that was chasing after him, but when two of Genom's standard combat boomers were ripped apart bolt by bolt and hurled at him, he knew that he was dealing with another Esper.

Ducking down three alleys did not help matters either. All he had managed to do was make his inevitable demise come quicker. At one point he thought that this Esper was going to activate the death satellites that were in orbit.

"You are keeping me from my true love," Cameron shouted as he looked around in fright. He was unable to see the one that was attacking him. "I have no quarrel with you!"

"But I have one with you," the ice cold voice said. It sounded like it came from everywhere all at the same time.

It took all of his reflexes to doge the incoming piece of wrecked battle armor. It was large and red with a wicked three toed claw at the end of what could have been an arm. As Cameron continued to run for his life he felt for the first time real fear. This time however, his fear blinded him to the real danger that he was in. Turning a corner he discovered that he was now in an alley from which he had no escape except for the way he came. Sighing in disgust he started to run back the way he came only to be stopped by an invisible wall that was placed across the alley.

"Mercy please," Cameron begged.

"Did your first love also ask for mercy, before you killed her," the voice asked.

"She didn't have to," Cameron said. "She loved me too much to debase herself with groveling."

"Then why should I give you any mercy," the voice asked.

Finally Cameron was able to put a form to the voice. He watched in muted horror as an armored figure appeared out of thin air right in front of him. The armor was black as the late night sky. Any light that hit it was absorbed into the inky blackness. The helmet matched the same inky blackness of the armor as well, though at what looked to be a seam he could see a thin red line. That was the last thing he ever saw as the blackness claimed him.

******

**EPILOGUE**:

Nene and Gwen were the first on the scene. Once the Chief found out about the incident with the powered suits, he relaxed his stance on using heavy weapons. It was put to him in such a way that he could not refuse. When they landed they saw a sight that would have given the feint of heart nightmares for months to come. Next to a trash dumpster they found what appeared to be a person that was sleeping. When they touched the individual they discovered that it was only propped up against it. The remains of what once was a person fell over and then fell apart.

"What happened here," Nene asked in horror. "Did someone not like this person?"

"At least we can identify who it is," Gwen said. She did not want to answer a question that she knew did not have a valid answer. "The killer left the hands and head mostly intact."

"We don't need that much," Nene said once she got a good look at the person. "It's that person that was dropped off on our door step some months ago."

"Cameron Michaels I believe," said another voice that came from behind them. Turning to face the speaker they saw that it was Leon. Once he got a good look at him all that Leon could do was shake his head in disgust. "Our boy has been busy. But we don't handle this type of crime."

"Witnesses said he was being chased by a boomer," Gwen said.

"Well there goes my evening," Leon muttered under his breath. "Alright bag and tag everything you can. I will have Daley canvas the area to see what other evidence we can gather."

"We should be be getting back," Gwen pointed out. "We are not needed here."

As Nene was leaving she noticed a small picture scribbled in the concrete. She knew right away who had done it. And she knew why too.

"You got what you deserved," Nene said. "Hope you rot in hell."

Then with out another word she rocketed off into the night.


End file.
